A Mesa teen is learning his prank was no laughing matter after he was arrested for exposing himself in a yearbook picture at Red Mountain High School.
After facing a judge, 19-year-old Hunter Osborn is now out of jail, wearing an ankle monitor at home as he faces 69 misdemeanor counts for indecent exposure, and a felony count for furnishing harmful material to minors.
"It's a little too much. I mean, it was a prank that just gone wrong," said a student named Marcus.
"Sure, maybe it was a prank, but yet, it could still be a violation of our laws," said legal analyst Hector Diaz.
Just because Hunter is a high school student, Diaz says, it doesn't change the fact that he was 18 at the time of the picture.
Police say Hunter told them a teammate dared him to expose himself.
"I think he got what he deserved. You've got to keep your private parts private. Keep them to yourself. Don't expose them to the world," said a student named Christian.
ABC15 reached out to Hunter at home. A family member politely said they had nothing to say.
Hunter's friends say they know what he did was wrong, but the punishment doesn't fit the crime.
"This whole thing is taken way--blown out of proportion," said a student named Jordan.
"I don't think he should've got all that punishment. Let him walk. He needs to graduate," said another student named Morgan.
Diaz says he deals with many cases where teens get themselves in trouble by sexting--distributing sexually explicit images. In this case, the picture was widely distributed.
He says parents and students should learn from this teen's mistake.
"Do we really want to be putting people in--resulting in convictions, do we want to be giving detention to juveniles for this kind of matter, or do we want to educate them?" Diaz said.
Many viewers asked if the school, the photographer, and the printing company could face any consequences for approving and distributing the picture.
The school and district are now conducting an internal investigation to determine what actions could've prevented the publication, according to Helen Hollands, director of communications for the Mesa Public Schools District.
