Sexual Abuse or Harmless Horseplay?

Oct. 5, 2007— -- Did you hear about the young sexual harassers in McMinnville, Ore.? In February 2007, Ryan Cornelison, 12, and his pal Cory Mashburn, 13, were charged with five counts of felony sex abuse in the first degree.

Police Officer Marshall Roache testified in court about what the boys did to some 13-year-old girls at their middle school: "I remember her telling us that her buttocks was spanked."

And in Waco, Texas, an official from the La Vega Independent School District wrote Chris Blackwell's father that Chris engaged in "inappropriate physical behavior interpreted as sexual contact and/or sexual harassment."

A teacher's aide filed a "student behavior referral" stating that as he waited in line for the school bus, "Christopher called my name, he looked at me and smiled with a great big grin on his face, he stuck his face and rubbed it across my chest and he thought it was funny."

The odd thing is … Chris is only 5 years old. He was 4 at the time of the alleged "sexual harassment." His father, DeMarcus Blackwell, says he was "devastated" when he received the letter from the school.

"That's human, to show this display of affection or kindness to each other," Blackwell said. "At 4 years old, my son is being taught and trained to be friendly toward everyone."

Watch John Stossel's special "The Age of Consent" next Friday, March 14 at 10 p.m. ET

Only after Chris' father complained did the school agree to change Chris' record from sexual harassment to "inappropriate physical conduct."

At least Chris wasn't sent to jail, as were Cory and Ryan in Oregon. Cory's mom, Tracie, who got the terrible phone call, says she was told, "He had been touching some girls and we needed to get down to the juvenile detention. They were arresting him."

Tracie and her husband Scott rushed to the Yamhill County jail, where they were told, "We can tell you Cory is here, but you cannot see him or talk to him."

Ryan's dad, Joe, hit the same brick wall. "I thought it was crazy. I can't believe that they could take your kid and just take him to jail like that and you're not able to talk to him."