League of Legends player arrested for Facebook comment

[Sledgstone 8,672]

Anyone else been following the story of that Texas teenager that was arrested for his facebook comment?

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/07/01/197669495/texas-teen-jailed-for-sarcastic-facebook-comment

 

A Texas teen faces up to eight years in prison after making a comment on Facebook about shooting up "a school full of kids." Deputies in Comal County, Texas, charged then-18-year-old Justin Carter with making "terroristic threats" — a third-degree felony — in March. According to the Comal County Jail, he's been behind bars since March 27, unable to make his $500,000 bail.

 

"Justin Carter was 18 back in February when an online video game took an ugly turn on Facebook. Jack Carter says his son Justin and a friend got into an argument with someone on Facebook about the game and the teenager wrote a comment he now regrets. 'Someone had said something to the effect of "Oh you're insane, you're crazy, you're messed up in the head," to which he replied "Oh yeah, I'm real messed up in the head, I'm going to go shoot up a school full of kids and eat their still, beating hearts," and the next two lines were lol and jk,' said Carter."

 

A Canadian woman saw the posting, and according to the teen's father, the woman called police.

 

"These people are serious. They really want my son to go away to jail for a sarcastic comment that he made," Jack Carter told KVUE. "Justin was the kind of kid who didn't read the newspaper. He didn't watch television. He wasn't aware of current events. These kids, they don't realize what they're doing. They don't understand the implications. They don't understand public space."

 

Apparently the guy was beaten in jail:

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/07/03/198129617/teen-jailed-for-facebook-comment-reportedly-beat-up-behind-bars

 

And it looks like an anonymous donor has posted his bail for him:

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/07/11/201202207/anonymous-person-posts-500-000-bond-to-free-texas-teen

 

 

 

This is why I prefer usernames over real names. We've all seen ridiculous comments online over the years but people don't get arrested for a single post they make.. but with facebook, its your real name, your real identity and your real information. One person reports you and the police get full access to your facebook account. I'm guessing this guy probably had more private comments or random stupidity that made authorities think he could actually be a threat.. because if people can get arrested from a single facebook comment.. wtf..

[Myk JL 1,731]

You can't be a hero in Canada & you can't make comments that might offend Canadians.

 

....

 

Where's South Park's "Blame Canada" Song when you need it?

 

....

 

Then again maybe I shouldn't be joking because I use a name still close to my real name here.

[Sledgstone 8,672]

What I don't understand is why more people don't get arrested for facebook comments.. I'm sure plenty of people have openly said they would have wanted to kill Bush or Obama over the years, but... actually.. wait a second..

 

*searches google*

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=arrested+facebook+comment+president

 

Well I'll be damned.. people seem to get arrested for facebook comments more frequently than I thought.

[Strider Hiryu 2,704]

This is why I don't use Facebook or actually have my real name linked to anything that can be viewed publicly (outside of Linkedin). Honestly I've been following this case since I first heard about it and honestly people need to let the kid go. It's obviously a joke, god forbid someone make a joke in bad taste on the internet.

 

God damn Canadians.

Edited July 13, 2013 by Strider Hiryu

[Ladywriter 7,783]

[devils advocate] I don't feel a bit sorry for the fucknard. Its about time we start punishing stupid. He lives near an elementary school. Fuck him for not knowing how to conduct himself in public. [/devils advocate]

[Sledgstone 8,672]

[devils advocate] I don't feel a bit sorry for the fucknard. Its about time we start punishing stupid. He lives near an elementary school. Fuck him for not knowing how to conduct himself in public. [/devils advocate]

 

You make a good point. There is no real anonymity anymore between offline and online. The internet is basically public domain and everyone has to now be on their best behaviors, especially if posting and saying things with their real names.

[Kite 3,263]

Stupidity should be punished, but not 8 years of prison, (anal therapy)

 

 

a fine 30 days jail seems more reasonable..

[Strider Hiryu 2,704]

I'm all for punishing the little twat but I don't believe he needs to go to prison for a stupid remark. If that's all it takes to go to prison now-a-days we'd all be there (I'm not proud but I've said stuff in the past that goes along the same lines as his comment, don't think I should go to jail for it).

Edited July 18, 2013 by Strider Hiryu

[Sledgstone 8,672]

8 years seems quite excessive for just a comment. It makes me wonder if old comments could now be a liability. Imagine adding a new friend on facebook from some zynga game, then that person searches your previous comments and then reports a comment from 5 years ago to the police. wtf.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

If we tried putting all the stupid ppl in jail it would bankrupt us in a day. Probation for two years with psy evaluations every 6 months would likely be enough to prevent derp from doing something dangerous.

[Sledgstone 8,672]

If we tried putting all the stupid ppl in jail it would bankrupt us in a day. Probation for two years with psy evaluations every 6 months would likely be enough to prevent derp from doing something dangerous.

 

Thats a good idea. If there is no evidence to suggest someone would go on a shooting spree, probation and an evaluation sounds like a much better solution than 8 years in jail.