NEWPORT, Ore. -- A 17-year-old girl has been charged with taking cell phone video of her 16-year-old friend in the middle of a sexual act and then sending it to other people, authorities said.

The girl and two men have been locked up on charges of sexual abuse and child pornography in the case that is under way in Lincoln County.

The incident happened about a year ago at a vacation rental in Newport, police said.

The case is pretty much the first of its kind in Oregon and there are serious consequences at stake. Officials said that the teenager could be sent to prison and forced to register as a sex offender for recording cell phone video of her friend who'd been drinking.

Many teens said that sexting -- the act of sending sexually explicit material using a cell phone or the Internet -- is a relatively common occurrence.

"It's mostly girls taking pictures of themselves naked or something and then they send it to their boyfriend and it will go around to all their friends and get into the school area," Andrea Williams said.

Last spring, a group of young people were partying at a rental home in Newport when David Simpson, 30, encouraged his dog to have sexual contact with a half-naked, 16-year-old girl who'd been drinking, prosecutors said.

Authorities said the girl's 17-year-old friend recorded the act on her cell phone and sent the video to Jesse Carey, 18.

Simpson appeared in court for a status hearing Monday. All three people are facing charges of child sex abuse.

Patrick Hess, the school resource officer for Century High in Hillsboro, said that this year he's already caught two teens sending sexual pictures of themselves or others using cell phones.

"With the availability of the Internet and text messaging and just being able to transmit things electronically, I think it's a bigger issue than what we've seen on the surface," Hess said.

Hess said he isn't sure the 17-year-old girl in the Newport case should go to prison, but he hopes her story gives all teens a reality check.

"Once it hits the Internet, you never know where it's going to go, and that's kind of a wake-up call for some kids," Hess said.

A Lincoln County judge reduced Simpson's bail Monday, and the suspects will be back in court for another status hearing on April 20.

Because her charges are Measure 11 crimes, the 17-year-old girl in the case could be facing six to seven years in prison and the possibility that she'll have to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.

Girl Accused Of Videotaping Friend's Sex Act