A 17-year-old is charged with a felony for having unprotected sex while knowing she was infected with AIDS, according to WOTV, of Battle Creek.

Prosecutors charged Amber Jo Sours (pictured, left) with a four-year felony after police identified four men who claimed they had sex with her and didn't know she carried AIDS.

"We had contacted the (Tri-County) health department. They were looking at her too, and this is just the tip of the iceberg," said Gary Chester, director of Coldwater Public Safety.

Sours was charged under a 1998 law that deals specifically with people who know they are HIV-positive or have AIDS and don't tell their sexual partners.

The 17-year-old smiled and laughed when informed of the charge in court Monday.

One man admitted he had sex with Sours more than 25 times from September through December. He wrote to Prosecutor Kirk Kashian that she never told him she has AIDS, and he thought she had leukemia.

The unnamed man has tested negative for the virus, but will continue to be tested because he could test positive in the future, Kashian said.

The three other men also said she never told them she has AIDS. They knew she was ill, but thought it was cancer. It was unknown if they had undergone testing for the virus.

Charges were authorized Feb. 2 after police interviewed Sours and her mother. The teen fled the area and was arrested last weekend in Genesee County. She was returned to Branch County on Monday.

Sours is being held in the Branch County Jail on a $500,000 bond. A preliminary examination was set for March 13, and a mental health evaluation has been ordered.

She faces up to four years in prison and a $2,000 fine if convicted.

Sours has been in the juvenile court system since she gave birth to a child at the age of 12. It was not known how Sours may have contracted the disease.

Luann Sours, of no relation, has known Amber since she was 2. She told WOTV that some of the love Amber did receive, came from her. "She had a rough life, but Amber's got a good heart. She really has a good heart," Sours said.

Prosectors say because Sours has no prior criminal record, it's not likely she will go to prison.