KY resident posted photos of local women and teens to a porn site, prosecutors say
Officials in Western Kentucky are investigating after receiving a report of a person who posted photos of local women and teenage girls to a porn site, according to the Grayson County Attorney’s Office.
The photos came from social media. Samara Heavrin, the state representative for the 18th District, which includes Grayson County, said there were thousands of photos posted on the website by the suspect, including photos of herself.
The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office said the sheriff’s daughter and multiple KSP troopers’ wives and children were also victims of the crime. The attorney’s office said the photos were shared to “illicit inappropriate comments and other unknown motivations.”
“While many of the photos were of clothed women, the horrific comments posted by users of the website are something that will take years for these women to overcome,” Heavrin said on Facebook. “This behavior is unacceptable.”
No other details about the suspect or the nature of the photos were available as of Tuesday morning. The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office said they have been in contact with the suspect.
“I can assure you that this person will be held accountable for any laws broken,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
The sheriff’s office also said Monday that authorities are investigating the language and comments attached to the photos to see if any laws were violated. They are also looking into whether or not there is child pornography associated with the suspect.
“Everyone wants instant gratification when it comes to justice, but simply copying a photo from an open-source public website and pasting it on another open-source public website is not illegal,” the sheriff’s office said. “It does not matter if that website is a porn site, a bible study, or a cooking class website.”
An investigation with Kentucky State Police began Sunday, according to the attorney’s office. Any victims of the crime are encouraged to call the attorney’s office at 270-259-9306.
“We will be gathering victim information and questions, so that when charges are brought by law enforcement, that information can be shared with those affected,” the attorney’s office said in a Facebook post.
Heavrin, who is also the Chair of the House Families and Children Committee, said she will explore possible legislation that would prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
“Unfortunately, this is a reminder to all of us that we do not have control of photographs that are posted on our own social media,” Heavrin said in a Facebook post. “Please take the time to have a conversation with your family about predators that don’t always have good intentions.”
This past Kentucky legislative session, a proposed bill aimed to protect citizens from the unauthorized use of unclothed images. The bill, Senate Bill 7, known as the Right of Publicity Act, was sponsored by Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington, and passed 38-0 in the state Senate.
The bill was sent to the state House on March 6, but no further action was taken.
The bill would have allowed victims of unclothed image theft in Kentucky to be eligible for liability, enforcement and damages.
Grayson County is about 120 miles southwest of Lexington, north of Bowling Green.
This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 2:07 PM.
