Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

 

Published - Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Teen faces child porn charges


Felony charges were filed Tuesday against a La Crosse teenager accused of posting nude photographs of a 16-year-old female on his MySpace page.

Alex Phillips, 17, of W4300 Hwy. M, No. 79, was charged with possession of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a child and defamation in La Crosse County Circuit Court.

La Crosse County authorities confirmed that Phillips’ Web page had two photos of the naked teen Saturday after receiving a tip from police in Janesville, Wis., according to the criminal complaint.

Phillips had no intention of removing the photographs, the complaint stated. Told he could go to jail for posting the photos, he replied, “‘(Expletive) that, I am keeping them up,’” according to the complaint.

The 16-year-old told deputies she was upset about the postings.

Phillips said he posted the pictures Friday to vent, according to the complaint.

He included sexually inappropriate captions with the photographs.

“He initially said he was not trying to do anything to harm her, but later admitted that he probably should not have done this,” the complaint stated.

Phillips is being held in the La Crosse County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond and has a preliminary hearing set for May 28.

Anne Jungen can be reached at (608) 791-8224 or ajungen@lacrossetribune.com.

 

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