Michigan man sentenced for sharing Columbus teen’s images

A Michigan man will be serving time in the Bartholomew County Jail after pleading guilty in what authorities are calling a revenge porn scheme.

According to Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay 18 year-old Jesse J. Price of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of distribution of an
intimate image. A felony charge of Child Exploitation was dismissed.

The case began last year when Columbus Police Department received a complaint from a 17-year-old Columbus girl, who said her ex-boyfriend posted intimate images of her on a pornographic web site. The post included her name and home address. She learned about the posting when a stranger contacted her wanting more images. The victim recognized the images as ones she had previously shared with her former boyfriend.

Investigators with the Bartholomew County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force worked in cooperation with Michigan’s similar task force. Local investigators were granted a search warrant for the pornography site. The images had been removed shortly after being posted but, investigators were able to confirm Price had uploaded the images.

After pleading guilty, Price has been sentenced to five years in prison, with one year to be served in Bartholomew County Jail and the remainder suspended with five years on probation.

Holden-Kay praised the Columbus Police Department and Michigan State Police for their work on the case. She said this case was particularly disturbing because the victim was contacted by a stranger.

Internet crimes against children can be reported to a local law enforcement agency or to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THELOST or CyberTipline.org.