People arrested for dumb social media posts kind of had it coming to them. From the teens who jokingly threaten lives on Twitter to those who took to Facebook to organize full-scale riots, all of these people have one thing in common: each were arrested for a common-sense-bending social media post.
In our world where Snapchats, Instagrams, Facebook posts, and Tweets spread information instantly, it's entirely too easy for those who are dumb enough to put their death threats and otherwise unclean thoughts on the web for all to see. Unfortunately for them, social media is also a place where law enforcement monitors activity to catch just these kind of threats.
So between the Dutch teen who jokingly tweeted a threat to American Airlines, to the sports fan who threatened to shoot his favorite British diver after he didn't bring home a medal at the 2012 Olympics, to the Los Angeles man who asked for retweets to take out some innocent victims with his sniper rifle, there is not shortage of stories about dumb things posted on social media that led to arrests - sometimes, even years in prison.
Folks, the next time you make a social media post, be it about your excitement for a concert or your plans for your next vacation, take a moment to think before you press send. That moment of clarity might just keep you out of jail.
People Arrested for Dumb Social Media Posts,
Dutch Girl Arrested for American Airlines Threat
"Hello my name's Ibrahim and I'm from Afghanistan. I'm part of Al Qaida and on June 1st I'm going to do something really big bye." was the tweet sent by 14-year-old Sarah, @QueenDemetriax_ on Twitter, in April 2014, supposedly as a joke. The folks over at @AmericanAir however were not laughing and quickly responded by saying, "@QueenDemetriax_ Sarah, we take these threats very seriously. Your IP address and details will be forwarded to security and the FBI."
What followed, before the account was suspended, was the complete implosion of the so-called joke and an insane freak out by the Dutch teen. After pleading that she's "just a girl" and vowing not to tell her parents about her momentary lapse in sanity, Sarah later turned herself into police where she was charged with posting a false or alarming announcement.
Man Tweets Robin Hood Airport Bomb Threat
In the "you're old enough to know better" category, back in May 2010, then-26-year-old Paul Chambers tweeted about his intention to blow Robin Hood Airport "sky high" if his upcoming flight at the British airport was late. What he didn't account for was the chance that he'd miss said flight because he'd be arrested for that tweet two days before his scheduled departure.
Claiming the tweet was an "innocuous hyperbole," Chambers fought the legal charges, which included sending an offensive, indecent, obscene, or menacing message over a public telecommunications network, and lost, something that cost him 1,000 pounds and his job at a car distribution firm. His whining continued on Twitter with tweets talking about how this punishment does not fit the "crime" and complaining that this has jeopardized his career. Clearly, he learned nothing from the incident.
American Tourists Carve Initials Into Coliseum So They Can Take a Selfie
Oh, the things done in the name of Instagram.
Two American girls, aged 21 and 25, broke off from their tour group while on vacation in Rome, Italy and decided to use a coin to carve their initials into the walls of a structure that was built just slightly more than 2000 years before the dawn of social media.
Other tourists in the historic landmark reported the vandalism to guards and the pair were arrested for aggravated damage to a building of historical and artistic interest. The girls could see a fine of up to 20,000 Euros as a similar fine was imposed upon a Russian tourist who vandalized the structure about a year before.
No word on how many likes the selfie received.
Source: NY Post
Teen Jailed for Kindergarten Shooting "Sarcasm"
Oh, those gamers, they get so heated when they battle across the Internet, so much so that in February 2013, when 18-year-old Justin Carter was insulted by a League of Legends gamer, he posted some fighting words back of his own.
"I think Ima shoot up a kindergarten / And watch the blood of the innocent rain down / And eat the beating heart of one of them" was what Carter posted, and just as anyone with half a brain would expect, he was soon arrested. Carter claimed that his messages were "sarcastic," even using the fact that he also typed "lol" and "jk" as his defense; authorities didn't agree.
Teen Sends Murder Scene Selfie Via Snapchat
Snapchatting a selfie with you and your victim is the perfect way to share a crime scene photo, right? Seven seconds of revelry and then the evidence disappears. Until the person on the receiving end snaps a screen shot with your user name on full display, of course.
Maxwell Marion Morton (no relation to Matron Mama) was charged with first-degree murder in Pennsylvania after he sent a Snapchat of himself and his victim (16-year-old Ryan Mangan) to several people, one of whom took a screenshot of the (perhaps) unintentional confession.
Source: TheVerge.com
Man Repeatedly Tweets About Assassinating President Obama
There are many things that would really be common sense that would be really, really bad to tweet about. Assassinating the president lands squarely in that category. So it should be no surprise that in September 2012, when 21-year-old Donte Jamar Sims posted a series of tweets talking about killing President Barack Obama with "that Lee Harvey Oswald swagg" and an "Assault (sic) Rifle at Barack's Forehead," he was swiftly arrested.
While Sims reportedly was smiling when reading his tweets aloud to the Secret Service, who knocked on his door just a few days later, he later apologized for his stupidity. That apology came up just a wee bit short though as he was later sentenced to six months in prison for knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of the president.
Sick Jokes About Missing Kids Land Teen in Prison
Taking sick jokes to a whole new and very much criminal level, meet Matthew Woods. This British teen had the brilliance to post jokes on Facebook stating "I woke up this morning in the back of a transit van with two beautiful little girls, I found April in a hopeless place." and "Who in their right mind would abduct a ginger kid?"
Now out of context, these might not seem something that would land him behind bars, but considering there were two little girls missing at the time, a highly covered story by the news media, no one was laughing at his comments. Woods, who claimed a defense of intoxication, spent three months in the pokey on charges of sending by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive.
Twitter Timebomb Mention Pulls Teen from Pink Concert
When you're excited about attending a concert and want to express that on social media, it might be wise to step back and think before you tweet. An Aussie teen learned that lesson the hard way in July 2013, when he posted on Twitter this lapse of judgement, "@Pink I'm ready with my Bomb. Time to blow up #RodLaverArena. Bitch."
Though the kid was just referencing Pink's song "Timebomb," security at the concert rightfully treated the message like an actual threat and nabbed him when he arrived at the Melbourne arena. The kid was arrested, and his father had to angrily drive three hours to help sort things out. Public nuisance charges were filed and the kid missed out on the concert that got him so excited in the first place. Not a good night for anyone involved!
Teen Doesn't "Get Away With It Like Zimmerman"
Lots of people were upset when George Zimmerman was found not guilty of the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in July 2013. Just one however, went to Twitter to threaten mass murder because of it. 15-year-old "Mark" was that one.
The teen posted, "If Zimmmerman free imma shoot everybody in Zion causing a mass homicide, and ill get away wit it just like Zimmerman," just before the verdict was announced. Though it was quickly deleted, police got wind of the threat and pulled "Mark" into the station for questioning. The good news is that the cops determined that he was no threat and had no means of carrying out an act of that kind and let him off with a Class 4 felony charge, disorderly conduct.
Escaped Prisoner Gets Caught at Mexican Resort
A fugitive who escaped from the Payette County jail in Idaho was arrested by U.S. marshals after he posted his whereabouts on Instagram. They nabbed Nicholas Grove, who escaped by scaling a fence in 2014, in Tulum, Mexico, thanks in large part to the selfies he posted at a resort.
"Social media certainly played a role originally because this particular individual bragged about his escape on Facebook," Marshal Brian Underwood said. It's a good lesson from criminals and non-criminals alike: Keep your vacation photos to yourself.