A 37-year-old Army recruiter was arrested Friday after sending a nude image of himself to a 16-year-old girl via Snapchat.
Police say Adam Matthew Perkins met the student while she was selling cake balls for a fundraiser at her Houston-area high school. Perkins gave her a $20 donation and the two exchanged Snapchat usernames.
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After the exchange, the teen said Perkins began sending her “strange” snaps — at first, a photo of him eating a cake pop, but later, he allegedly sent her a photo of his genitals.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Harris County, Perkins, a married father of three, admitted to her was “no angel.” The complain also said Perkins told the teen she was “sexy” and had “sexy a— toes.”
On Dec. 13, the girl received a nude photo of Perkins lying on a bed, according to the complaint. She said the photo was visible for two or three seconds before disappearing, as is the nature of Snapchat. However, police are able to request access to the exchange by search warrant; it’s unclear whether the company is able to retrieve the message, as snaps are, according to Snapchat’s Privacy Policy, removed from the server once played.
However, Snapchat retains a temporary log showing data about messages — like when they were sent and by whom, but not the content.
Perkins at first denied the nude image of himself, then later reportedly claimed it was sent “by accident.”
Deer Park police were called to Deer Park High School in the Houston area on Dec. 14 after a school resource officer received a report about the exchange. The officer identified Perkins after checking the screening system the school used to check in visitors. The teen told an investigator that she knew him as “Sergeant Perkins,” according to the Dallas News.
He was jailed over the weekend but released on $1,000 bond. He faces a misdemeanor charge of displaying harmful material to a minor.
