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Centennial teen claims she was blackmailed for sex and her school is doing nothing to protect her

Posted at 10:16 PM, Dec 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-20 00:36:38-05

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- A mother in Centennial has pulled her daughter from school, because she claims the 15-year-old is the alleged victim of a predator and that staff is doing nothing to protect students, at the same time officials are keeping parents in the dark.

Kelley McCollum told Denver7 social media is being used to blackmail her daughter.

It began with a mistake the teen admittedly made, succumbing to a male teen student’s advances and sending him nude photos via Snapchat, the messaging app and social media platform that automatically deletes messages every 24 hours. The male student allegedly then used the images to blackmail McCollum’s daughter into doing things against her will, the woman told Denver7.

"He said that he saw me and thought I was pretty and asked for my Snapchat," the teen, who Denver7 is not identifying because she is a minor, told Denver7.

She continued to Snapchat the boy, but there was one problem: she had a boyfriend. All of the teens are reportedly students at Eagle Crest High School in the Cherry Creek School District.

"[He] Somehow convinced me to send him pictures and then used those pictures to blackmail me," said the teen.

Blackmail, or rather sextortion, is what this incident became when the male teen allegedly starting making demands. If they weren't met, those Snapchat photos that never disappeared would leak, the family explained.

"He made me go off campus with him and have sex with him even though I told him I didn't want to. I told him I didn't want to go that far and he still made me," said the teen.

The girl told the counselor and school resource officer at Eagle Crest High School after it allegedly happened during school hours.

Eventually, Kelley McCollum got a call from her daughter while she was at school.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to be mad at me," said McCollum. "I mean, that broke my heart."

McCollum said the school was doing nothing.

"The vice principal said, 'how can I help you?' And I said, 'excuse me, you know I need to know what you're going to do about the situation,'" said McCollum. "He blackmailed her and she said no several times."

So for now she keeps her daughter at home.

"He’s dangerous and I’m just so angry I just want somebody to do something," said McCollum.

No charges have been filed, according to the information from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.

A spokesperson with the Cherry Creek School District sent Denver7 the following statement:

“The allegations being made are very concerning. As soon as the school was made aware of the allegations, they contacted the school resource officer from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. The school has taken disciplinary action and is cooperating fully with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office in their investigation."

Regarding the question of parental notification, Abbe Smith, the director of communications for Cherry Creek Schools said there was "a lapse in communication."

"We are looking into why that happened and will take appropriate action to correct the mistake. Our highest priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students."