Jefferson Co. Sheriff's Officials Explain Felony Charges from Facebook Post
By: Josh Berry, KARK 4 News
Updated: October 25, 2012
Threatening people on Facebook could get you booked.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is looking for a man accused of threatening a deputy on the popular social media site.
Montrell Wine faces felony charges for posting a profane statement on Facebook claiming he's going to kill an officer.
Sheriff's officials say whether it was stated in person, on Facebook or through a third party like any social media site, if it's written and perceived as a threat, it's a criminal offense.
Deputies think Wine may be somewhere in Texas, according to his Facebook page.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office thinks Wine likely felt he had the liberty to say whatever he wanted since he was on Facebook, but that's not the case and deputies ensure that what he did was against the law.
"Whether it be indirect or direct, whether you use Facebook or third party, that can be perceived as a threat and communicated as a threat, and that's how the officer perceived it," says Maj. Lafayette Woods.
Deputies say they frequently find leads, pursue cases and get probable cause off of social media sites.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office's next objective is finding Wine and officially filing charges, which could lead to six years behind bars and a fine up to $10,000 if convicted.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is looking for a man accused of threatening a deputy on the popular social media site.
Montrell Wine faces felony charges for posting a profane statement on Facebook claiming he's going to kill an officer.
Sheriff's officials say whether it was stated in person, on Facebook or through a third party like any social media site, if it's written and perceived as a threat, it's a criminal offense.
Deputies think Wine may be somewhere in Texas, according to his Facebook page.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office thinks Wine likely felt he had the liberty to say whatever he wanted since he was on Facebook, but that's not the case and deputies ensure that what he did was against the law.
"Whether it be indirect or direct, whether you use Facebook or third party, that can be perceived as a threat and communicated as a threat, and that's how the officer perceived it," says Maj. Lafayette Woods.
Deputies say they frequently find leads, pursue cases and get probable cause off of social media sites.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office's next objective is finding Wine and officially filing charges, which could lead to six years behind bars and a fine up to $10,000 if convicted.
