Gaston County woman says co-worker stole nude photos off her cell phone

A Gaston County woman has accused a co-worker of stealing nude photos off her cell phone that were intended for her husband’s eyes only, the Gaston Gazette reported.

Robert Max Helsdon, 22, of Dallas, N.C., was jailed Friday on a felony charge of disclosure of private images. Police also charged him with misdemeanor injury to personal property.

“I feel like I’ve been betrayed and feel really disgusted in that he has done something like this,” Kari, 23, told the Gazette. She asked that her last name not be used out of fear she would be harassed at work or home.

According to a warrant, the woman let Helsdon use her phone to download music while at work on May 11, the newspaper reported. Helsdon found the photographs and downloaded them, she said.

“I will never let anyone touch my phone again,” she said.

North Carolina enacted a “revenge porn” law in 2015 that aims to protect the public from revenge posting online by making it a criminal offense.

Kari told the Gazette she never had a romantic relationship with Helsdon and that he dates one of her friends. She said Helsdon’s girlfriend alerted her that nude photographs of her were on Helsdon’s phone, she said.

“His girlfriend sent me a message on Facebook and said he had pictures of me nude,” Kari said. Helsdon’s girlfriend said she thought something inappropriate might be occurring between him and Kari.

From now on, Kari told the Gazette, if she takes an intimate photograph for her husband, she will delete it after showing it to him.

This story was originally published May 27, 2017 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Gaston County woman says co-worker stole nude photos off her cell phone."