PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Deputies say a 14-year-old boy from Plainfield Township is facing charges after allegedly pressuring other teenagers to send inappropriate images.

According to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the boy was arrested Monday and is facing multiple charges: three counts of child sexually abusive activity, two counts of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of possession of child sexually abusive material.

Investigators say they believe he used Snapchat to target 17 other teenagers and pressure them to send illicit images.

Sgt. Kailey Gilbert, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department, says all the victims have been identified.

“Several of them are out of state. We have three local children linked to this investigation. The ones from out of state did not send pictures back but the suspect did ask them for images,” Gilbert said.

Deputies described it as a sextortion case .

“Sextortion is a term used to describe the act of pressuring another person to send inappropriate images and then threatening to release them in an attempt to extort the victim,” they wrote in a release.

The sheriff’s office emphasized the dangers of sextortion and online bullying.

“As law enforcement continues to investigate, it becomes clear that these crimes are not faceless acts from distant locations but can, and do, happen right here within our community,” deputies wrote. “We encourage anyone experiencing pressure to send illicit images or being bullied to contact a trusted adult; whether it’s a parent, teacher, School Resource Officer, or family friend.”

Investigators have been seeing more cases of sextortion in recent years, they say.

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“Kids have easier access to technology and there’s so many different apps out there that kids use to communicate … so it’s pretty easy for somebody to just contact a random person online and ask for images,” Gilbert said.

The sheriff’s office is trying to help educate kids and parents through the Children’s Anti-Exploitation Partnership Program , known as CAP.

“It allows us to bring families into the sheriff’s office and speak with a worker from our CAP program and just kind of explain in a different way the dangers of online activity, the different predators that are out there and just how to keep you and your family safe online,” Gilbert said.

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