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WASHINGTON — The lead detective in a high-profile "sexting" case is suing a Northern Virginia attorney for criticizing a police search warrant that sought pictures of a 17-year-old boy's erect penis.

Detective David Abbott of the Manassas City Police Department filed a defamation lawsuit against attorney Jessica Foster on Oct. 16. Foster represented the 17-year-old Manassas City teen charged with distributing child pornography for allegedly texting a sexually explicit video of himself to his 15-year-old girlfriend.

The Washington Post reports that Abbott's lawsuit claims comments Foster made to the newspaper in July caused Abbott intense public scrutiny, embarrassment, and shame, and hurt his reputation as a police officer.