Today in Creepy: Mom Blackmails Teen With Nude Pics

By Karl Klockars in News on Oct 7, 2008 6:30PM

It's a Chicagoist Choose Your Own Adventure: You're a mom. Your 13-year-old little girl comes home bawling after school one afternoon. "Why, daughter," you say, "Whatever could be the matter?"

"My boyfriend broke up with me!" she cries.

A) If you console your daughter, telling her that these things happen and if he doesn't appreciate you for who you are, then he's the one that's losing out - and then internally breathe a sigh of relief, turn to page 36.*

B) If you email the ex-boyfriend hundreds of times, and then threaten to post naked pictures of him on the internet in an attempt to spur a reconciliation with the daughter, turn to the next page.

If you chose to turn to the next page, you might be a mom in northwestern suburban Elgin, who did exactly that and is very likely going to face charges from the Sleepy Hollow PD. Newsradio 780 and the Daily Herald say that the mom in question (no name given) may have already put some of the images online, and police are sifting through the numerous emails she sent the young man in question. Police are also searching through other computer and cell phone files that were taken from her home.

The also-unnamed young boy and girl admitted to taking the naked photos of themselves with their cell phone cameras and sending them to each other - but the photos of the girl have apparently been deleted. The boy's parents tried to deal with the harassment but eventually were forced to go to the police, and DCFS has also been alerted. The mother could eventually be charged with intimidation, harassment, and posessing child pornography.

So, what's worse: The harassing mom? The photos hitting the internet? Or the knowledge that these kids are getting naked and documenting their bathing-suit areas? It's a safe assumption that this is not an isolated activity among school-aged kids. But at 13 years old? When we were thirteen, holding hands in the halls was scandalous, but then, some of us are Catholic school grads. Parents - do you rethink that new cellphone purchase for your kids - or do you take an awl and break that little lens?

*There is no Page 36. That's just kinda what you should do.