Facebook post lands someone in court

An Oregon teenager has landed himself in the county jail for what must be one of the dumbest Facebook gaffes ever: posting about his drunk-driving hit-and-run escapade.

"Drivin drunk ... classsic ;) but to whoever's vehicle i hit i am sorry. :P" was the early-morning post that quickly led to the at-home arrest of Jacob Cox-Brown in the Oregon-coast city of Astoria, reports the Daily Astorian.

Upon reading Cox-Brown's post, two of the 18-year-old's Facebook friends contacted the Astoria Police Department to report it; it became vital information after two officers responded to a 1am report of a hit-and-run, which left a white Scion plus an adjacent vehicle damaged in their parking spots.

After collecting pieces of the Scion's damaged taillight and bumper cover, the police received tips about the Facebook post and headed over to the home of Cox-Brown. They arrested the young man, charging him with two counts of failing to perform the duties of a driver. (Nearly nine hours had elapsed between the report and the confrontation, and the driver was no longer in his car, Deputy Chief Brad Johnston told Yahoo! Shine, which is why there was no driving-while-intoxicated charge.) He was held in the Clatsop County Jail and released on his own recognizance, and is scheduled to appear in Astoria Municipal Court on January 23.

"Astoria Police have an active social media presence," Astoria Police said in a press release. "It was a private Facebook message to one of our officers that got this case moving, though. When you post ... on Facebook, you have to figure that it is not going to stay private long." Also, Johnston told Yahoo! Shine, "We actually use Facebook to find things not unlike this."

 Cox-Brown's Facebook page is filled with telling clues about the young man's penchant for both altered states and vehicles: His "favorites" include Mommy Needs a Beer and Lifted Trucks USA, while "smoking blunts" and "rolling Ford Rangers" are listed among his "activities."

The 18-year-old now joins a roster of not-so-bright Facebook users who got themselves into hot water with the law, including Joseph Bernard Campbell, who was arrested in Florida for cyberstalking 19 women and putting risqué photos of them on Facebook; a group of Nevada girls arrested after posting an event called "Attack a Teacher Day"; and London Eley of Philadelphia, who was taken into custody after posting, "I will pay somebody a stack to kill my baby father."

source: Yahoo

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