SANTA ANA, Calif. -- Police are investigating how photographs of male high school athletes ended up on several gay adult Web sites.
Some of the pictures were of water polo players as young as 14. They were juxtaposed next to photos of nude young men and graphic sexual content, The Orange County Register reported.
University of California, Irvine, police confirmed they are investigating whether a dispatcher, Scott Cornelius, photographed high school players for gay-oriented sites.
Investigators said photos of students from high schools throughout San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties were part of the investigation.
"We're looking into the matter," Police Chief Paul Henisey said. "We're not exactly sure about what we have or what kinds of issues there are."
Henisey said Cornelius remained on active duty. Cornelius did not respond to requests from the newspaper for comment.
It was not clear if posting the pictures constituted an offense.
"With free speech and photography, there's a gray cloud in terms of what is legal, constitutional," said state Assemblyman Jose Solorio, chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Solorio said he would have the committee investigate the matter.
Local parents, coaches and school officials were alarmed that the pictures were posted. Parents said some of the boys were traumatized and sought counseling.
"These kids don't look at what they do as shameful," said Joan Gould, an international water polo official and a spokeswoman for a group of Orange County water polo parents. "For someone to come in and take what these kids are doing and take it out of context and exploit these images, these kids and their schools, because you can see the school name on the caps, is just horrible."
A photo of one polo player adjusting his suit is the subject of several lewd comments on another site.
Some of the pictures were of water polo players as young as 14. They were juxtaposed next to photos of nude young men and graphic sexual content, The Orange County Register reported.
University of California, Irvine, police confirmed they are investigating whether a dispatcher, Scott Cornelius, photographed high school players for gay-oriented sites.
Investigators said photos of students from high schools throughout San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties were part of the investigation.
"We're looking into the matter," Police Chief Paul Henisey said. "We're not exactly sure about what we have or what kinds of issues there are."
Henisey said Cornelius remained on active duty. Cornelius did not respond to requests from the newspaper for comment.
It was not clear if posting the pictures constituted an offense.
"With free speech and photography, there's a gray cloud in terms of what is legal, constitutional," said state Assemblyman Jose Solorio, chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Solorio said he would have the committee investigate the matter.
Local parents, coaches and school officials were alarmed that the pictures were posted. Parents said some of the boys were traumatized and sought counseling.
"These kids don't look at what they do as shameful," said Joan Gould, an international water polo official and a spokeswoman for a group of Orange County water polo parents. "For someone to come in and take what these kids are doing and take it out of context and exploit these images, these kids and their schools, because you can see the school name on the caps, is just horrible."
A photo of one polo player adjusting his suit is the subject of several lewd comments on another site.
