Woman arrested for 'Facebook thugging'
It sounds like a comedy skit, but 'Facebook thugging' is actually a crime and 26-year-old Kristin Holmes found out the hard way.
Holmes of Chesterfield, Virginia, was arrested after she allegedly posted a controversial selfie of her posing with a gun to Facebook after she was mistaken for another woman.
She captioned the image: "Ill (sic) post a few actual pics of me so you know the difference when u' come find me."
She then 'exchanged words' with other users on the social media network, according to reports.
Holmes quickly learned that getting tough online carries a harsh penalty.
The messages were reported to police and Holmes has since been charged with harassment by computer, according to WWBT.
According to the state of Virginia, the harassment charge is a Class 1 misdemeanor wherein a person 'with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass any person, shall use a computer or computer network to communicate obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language, or make any suggestion or proposal of an obscene nature, or threaten any illegal or immoral act."
She faces up to one year in jail or a $2500 fine if convicted.
Holmes said she will fight the charge.
"It was just a picture. It wasn't a threat," she told the broadcaster. "I thought it was a funny picture, and then I realised later that it was a little bit intimidating, so I took it down."
"Be careful what you put up on the internet," Holmes warned. "Facebook thugging is a crime."
News break – April 5
