Teenage slumber-party antics resulted in four Botetourt County juveniles being investigated for child pornography, according to a release from the county's sheriff's office.

During a sleepover on Dec. 28, according to the release, a teenage girl photographed two other teenage girls. The photographs were e-mailed to a teenage boy.

The incident involved two 14-year-old girls, a 15-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy. State law prohibits the release of information resulting in the identification of juveniles, the sheriff's office said.

Juvenile authorities, consulting with Botetourt Commonwealth's Attorney Joel Branscom, decided to treat the incident as a diversion, informally handling the juvenile cases instead of going to court. The matter remains open, however, and the teens could still be prosecuted until they turn 18.

"Knowledge of the photographs gradually spread until it reached the point of adult awareness, precipitating the investigation," the sheriff's office release reads. "Forensic examination of the computer used by the male recipient of the photographs confirmed the existence of the images."

Maj. Delbert Dudding of the sheriff's office declined to say which high school the students attend. Neither the principal at Lord Botetourt High School nor the assistant principal at James River could be reached for comment Friday. Tony Brads, Botetourt County school superintendent, said that the incident did not happen on school property and the students will not face a school punishment.

Branscom said treating the incident as a diversion illustrated the severity of the incident to the teens without charging them. "I think the system worked here," he said.

Branscom had not seen the pictures, but said his understanding was that they were "not illicit."

"This is kids playing with cameras and computers," said Branscom. "It can get very serious very quickly."

The incident illustrates how seriously law officials take accusations of child pornography. "If you're a computer owner, you don't want it on your computer," he said. "It can result in you getting charged or severely embarrassed."