Jessica Harbeson Foster, the teen's lawyer, says that the controversy began when the teen's girlfriend sent him an explicit photo, which he responded to by creating and sending back an explicit video of himself. His girlfriend's mother reported the text to police, and prosecutors charged the teenage boy with creating and distributing child pornography, a charge intended for hardcore pornographers who abuse minor children. If convicted, the teen would be placed on the state's sex offender registry, possibly for life, and could spend up to four years in jail.

The teen was arrested by police and taken to a juvenile detention center, where police forcibly took photos of his genitalia...