MI- Teen put sex pics of friends online, police say

2-23-2006 Michigan:

.WAYLAND -- A Wayland Union High School student faces three felony charges for allegedly taking photographs of two juveniles having sex, posting them from the Internet and linking to them from the popular Xanga web site, allegedly prompting a student in the photos to attempt suicide. Ryan Andrew Zylstra, 17, has been arrested on charges of manufacturing child pornography, distributing child pornography and use of a computer for child pornography.

Wayland Police say Zylstra took photos of a male teen and female teen "engaged in sexual activity" at Zylstra's home on New Year's Eve. Police say Zylstra linked to the photos from his blog site on Xanga, and students printed the photos and passed them out at school on Jan. 3, the day students returned after the holiday break. According to the police report, the mother of the girl in the photos said her daughter came home from school and attempted suicide because of her embarrassment.

The mother reported the incident to police Jan. 16, and police confiscated two computers from Zylstra's home. Police sought a warrant and Zylstra turned himself in Wednesday evening. He is to be arraigned March 6 in Allegan District Court. The Xanga site has been at the center of controversy recently elsewhere in West Michigan. Twenty East Grand Rapids High School students were suspended from extra-curricular activities for two weeks after photos of them drinking alcohol were posted on various Internet blog sites, including Xanga. ..more.. : by Jean Gallup, The Grand Rapids Press