An Army recruiter was arrested Friday in Deer Park, Texas, on suspicion of sending inappropriate Snapchat pictures to a 16-year-old girl, according to news reports.
Staff Sgt. Adam Perkins, 37, reportedly exchanged Snapchat accounts with the student after meeting her at a fundraiser at Deer Park High School in December. He faces a misdemeanor charge of displaying harmful material to a minor.
Perkins sent the girl messages saying she had “sexy ass toes” and “I’m no angel,” and inappropriate photos including a nude photo of him lying on a bed, Dallas News reported, citing the criminal complaint. The girl said the picture was visible for two or three seconds, according to the complaint.
The Snapchat app deletes messages after they are viewed by the recipient and may not be retrievable, according to the company’s law enforcement guide. However, Snapchat does retain temporary logs showing who sent the messages and when.
Deer Park police were alerted on Dec. 14 after a school resource officer received a report about the alleged exchange. Perkins denied to an investigator that he sent a nude photo but later said it was an accident, according to Dallas News.
Perkins, whose primary MOS is 13B cannon crewmember, has been assigned to the Deer Park Station as part of the Houston Recruiting Battalion since Dec. 6, 2015, according to Kelli Bland, director of public affairs at U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
Perkins has been removed from recruiting duty during the investigation, said Bland.
“U.S. Army Recruiting Command takes any claims of inappropriate behavior very seriously and thoroughly investigates all allegations of misconduct,” wrote Bland in an email to Military Times. “Recruiters are the face of the Army, and we expect them to serve honorably while representing the force.”
Perkins was released from jail after posting $1,000 bond, according to Dallas News.
