TYLER - It all started in Amarillo, where a man is accused of forcing his 8-and-9-year-old daughters to watch online pornography. But the case isn't as open-and-closed as it sounds...

Crystal Buckner says it happened last year at her ex-husband's house. She says her girls were watching a movie when their father, Jack Buckner, asked them to look at his computer.

Ms. Buckner tells the media, besides pornography, he showed them a live webcam of a woman acting out his sexual commands. He claims it was "something they needed to know about."

The truth didn't come out for months, when the youngest girl told a therapist.

That's when Randall County District Attorney James Farren got involved. But he's got his work cut out for him, because Buckner can't be charged with showing harmful material to his daughters. A loophole protects him under the umbrella of "sex education."

So what about the girls' protection?

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Bob Sperry says, "Children come with parents to protect them against the harsh realities of the world and to keep that innocence there so they they can enjoy being carefree for a while and develop. In this situation, because of what happened, those children were robbed of that."

That... And much more.

Doctor Sperry says the consequences for this exposure are extensive. Beginning with short-term effects, the girls could experience nightmares and fear, and even suffer in their school performance.

But it doesn't end there.

Sperry says the girls could face some pretty frightening long-term effects as well.

With so much at stake, and a tricky technicality to work around, the district attorney has to think outside the box.

Reports from the Associated Press indicate Farren charged Buckner with child endangerment-- a state jail felony which could land him two years in jail and thousands of dollars in fines.

Defense Attorney Tonda Curry says the girls' mother can take it a step further.

Curry says, "If they have damages, if they have mental anguish, if this causes nightmares, if this causes issues for them... she could take the unusual step of suing on behalf of the children."

Now for this problem of the law. Curry says it's an issue the legislature needs to take up.

"The law needs to be written to make room for legitimate education of your child, but the way it's written right now, it is very, very arguable that it makes room for much more than that, and it makes room for activity that morally, the community would not endorse."

It will be months before we find out what happens to Mr. buckner.

In the meantime, his ex-wife has temporary custody of the girls and their visits with dad are supervised.

One thing is for sure... Prosecutors are determined to tug on the thread of this "legal loophole" until the case is closed.