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4 Oregon men arrested for sex crimes following internet video

A lot of peoples' lives are on the Internet. With so many different ways to share information and connect with other people, personal details are often posted somewhere online. However, in some situations there is a fine line between sharing personal information and criminal activity.

According to Oregon police, four men may have crossed that line. Authorities claim that these men had sexual relations with two minor girls while video recording it. Police claim the men then uploaded that video to the social media website Facebook and to the video-sharing website YouTube. Reports allege that authorities became aware of the video after one the girl's teachers saw it on Facebook. This teacher apparently reported the video to authorities and the men were quickly identified.

The four men have since been indicted and arrested by authorities. They each face several felony sex crime charges. Under Oregon law, sexual contact with a child under the age of 18 is a Class B felony if the person is more than three years older than the minor, even if the act was consensual. Each of these men now faces serious punishments including prison time and having to register as a sex offender.

This case highlights the importance of being candid on the internet. The police have claimed that they use the Internet more and more for evidence, especially in cases of child sex abuse. The Internet is fair game for prosecutors and police, and those facing criminal charges need to know that evidence found on the Internet can be used against a person in court.

When police are using evidence obtained on the internet, those facing criminal charges should make sure they know their legal rights. Police still have rules they must follow when they obtain evidence during criminal investigations.

Source: The Huffington Post, "Portland Child Porn Case: 4 Men Indicted After Posting Rape Video To YouTube, Facebook," June 12, 2013

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