Police: Nude image came from son of legislator

COLUMBUS (AP)— A child of an Ohio state legislator had a role in the surprise image of a topless woman that popped up Tuesday when his father was delivering a lecture to a high school government class, according to the initial investigation.

Preliminary results of a State Highway Patrol investigation found that a child of state Rep. Michael Barrett had downloaded the image, said a House Democratic staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe is ongoing.

Though she stopped short of identifying the youngster, House Democratic Leader Joyce Beatty said in a statement: “This situation is a matter between him [Barrett], his teenaged son and his family.” Barrett has four children.

Huron County prosecutors, who are handling the case locally, declined to provide details of the investigation. A message was left with the Highway Patrol seeking comment.

The image of a topless woman was projected after Barrett inserted a data memory stick into the computer for a lecture on how a bill becomes a law. He was speaking to an American government class of about 20 students in the northern Ohio city of Norwalk.

Barrett said he did not know at the time how the image had become intermingled with the graphics presentation he was there to show. He immediately shut down the computer and finished the presentation using paper handouts.

“This is not legislative, this is not political; this is purely personal,” Beatty said. “We consider this matter a moot point.”