Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 9, 2026
Dangers of Sexting, Assistant Prosecutor Mike Haddox Speaks to Zanesville High School Students
ZANESVILLE, OH –
As part of its ongoing commitment to community education, the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office kicked off the year with a sexting awareness presentation for hundreds of students from every grade level at Zanesville High School.
The presentation, led by Mike Haddox, Zanesville High School Alum and prior Muskingum County Prosecutor, covered the realities, dangers, and legal implications of sexting. Introduced for future sexting presentations was Kallen Haddox, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the Juvenile Division.
Mr. Haddox defined sexting and stressed to students that the law does not distinguish between teenage sexting and other forms of child sexual abuse material, meaning a seventeen-year-old who sends or receives nude images can face the same legal classification.
Haddox reaffirmed the seriousness of sexting with the penalties associated with it such as jail time, a juvenile record, and sex offender registration.
The implications of sexting were then solidified to students with relevant “what if” scenarios and juvenile cases the prosecutor’s office has seen first-hand. Juvenile cases such as revenge porn, filming another juvenile in a nude state, AI fabrication, and sending or receiving a photo/video that contains a nude juvenile.
Students were also provided with 2025 statistics directly from the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office and given an opportunity to ask Mr. Haddox questions:
31 Juvenile Delinquency complaints were filed in 2025 which included charges the students were educated on: Illegal Use of Minor Nudity-Oriented Material, Pandering Involving a Minor, Disseminating Matter Harmful to Juveniles, and Voyeurism.
Total: 31
Age Range: 11-17
Average Age: 14
Gender Breakdown: 14 female and 17 male
This sexting presentation reflects an important partnership between the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office and the Muskingum County school system to educate students and help guide them toward positive choices for their future. Our office extends special thanks to Zanesville High School Principal Libby Hitchens and Superintendent Laura Tompkins for their support in making this presentation possible.
“Be Smart. Be Strong. Don’t Sext” – Assistant Prosecutor Mike Haddox
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