Concord Teen Arrested for Indecent Exposure, Lewdness

A local man was arrested earlier this month for allegedly sending a picture of his genitalia to an underage teenage girl, according to police.

Brandon Eastman, 18, of Modena Drive in Concord, was arrested at 3:34 p.m. on April 8, 2015, on a single felony count of indecent exposure and lewdness.

The incident, according to the arrest report, occurred around 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 27, 2015, at Merrimack Valley High School on Village Street in Penacook.

There is limited information is available about the case, according to Lt. Timothy O’Malley, the commander of the criminal investigation unit for the Concord Police Department, due to the age of the complainant in the case. He confirmed that Eastman allegedly used a social media site to share a photo of his genitalia to the girl. O’Malley added that Eastman reportedly knows the victim.

According to the law, the charge becomes a felony based on the age of the complainant – under 16 – and whether or not the interaction or transmission of the photo or information was purposeful in nature.

“It’s all about the mindset and what the intent is,” O’Malley said. “This is serious stuff.”

While sexting has been in the headlines recently, including teens selling photos of other teens in inappropriate settings, with some even being charged with child pornography, the department has done a lot of work with the schools about the issue, O’Malley said. In the past, there have been classes, and personnel try to get ahead of any situation, especially when clusters of problems begin to occur. He said when cellphones in the hands of youngsters really started to take off off a few years ago, it was a big problem in the city’s schools.

“The primary objective for us is education,” he said, “and then, mitigate it and stop it before it goes any further … it’s the whole sentiment of once this stuff is out there, there’s no getting it back.”

Eastman is due in court on May 11.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.