CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- All it takes is one inappropriate photo, and just like that your teen could be breaking the law.
"Most people think of sex crimes as something that is against somebody's will," Charlotte sex crimes Attorney Miranda Mills said.
A case out of Fayetteville has generated a lot of national attention recently, raising questions about North Carolina's sex crime laws.
Cormega Copening, 17, a high school student, is charged with five counts of felony exploitation of a minor, for possessing nude photos of himself and his 16-year-old girlfriend.
Mills isn't connected to this case, but she deals with sex crimes all the time and says this case is different.
"We're talking about an individual who has taken photographs and possesses photographs of their own body," she said.
We've seen cases of teenagers sharing nude photos with their peers without the subject's permission, but what makes this case different is that these teenagers were in a consensual relationship.
"Both of these individuals were adults that were, by law, allowed to engage in a sexual relationship legally," Mills said.
Even still, authorities charged both teens as adults with possession of child pornography.
The 16-year-old girl agreed to a plea deal, while Copening faces five felony charges and years as a registered sex offender.
It's a punishment that Mills doesn't believe fits the crime.
"Now, if he had sent the photos to another student and she didn't know about it, then that would be distribution of child pornography," she said.
She blames an outdated North Carolina law, that doesn't account for modern technology.
She acknowledges that it's a case that, if convicted, could set a dangerous precedent.
"You're not just talking about a young man who could potentially have a felony on his record, you're talking about someone who will wind up on the sex offender registry," she said. "That's a registry that was designed to identify people who are a danger to the community, and who are a danger to minors."
Copening is set to appear in court on September 30.
Whether he is convicted or not, Mills says it's a cautionary tale for parents. She says many parents realize the moral gravity of their teen children taking and sharing nude photos, but they may not realize how serious the legal consequences are.
She says parents should have a conversation with their teens and make them aware of how their decisions could affect the rest of their lives.
