Boardman school district responds to arrest of a high school student

Staff report

BOARDMAN

The school district issued a statement Wednesday in response to the arrest of a high-school student Monday on a felony charge of pandering obscenity involving a minor and a misdemeanor charge of menacing.

“This was an out-of-school matter that happened over the December break. It’s unfortunate that it has spilled into the school because the police arrested the student on our property.

“The district was unaware of an investigation being conducted by township police,” Superintendent Frank Lazzeri said in a statement.

A 16-year-old male student was arrested at the high school, 7777 Glenwood Ave., on Monday after an investigation revealed that he had nude photographs on his cellphone of a 15-year-old female, according to a police report.

The girl reported to police Dec. 24 that her ex-boyfriend had been trying to contact her since she ended their relationship.

She said the suspect posted a nude picture of her on a Facebook account that was not in his name, and threatened to post more on his account if she did not talk to him.

Township police searched the suspect’s cellphone Monday and say they found one partially nude and one completely nude picture of the girl on the phone.

It also appeared that the suspect had sent at least one of the pictures to contacts in his phone, they said.

Paul Poulos, a Boardman police officer who works as the security supervisor for the school district, was one of two officers who made the arrest, according to the report.

Poulos is stationed at the high school on a daily basis.

The case was referred to the Mahoning County Juvenile Court.

No further public comment will be made by the school district at this time, the release said.