Facebook Privacy Stories – The Hapless Fugitive

As we often warn our readers, social media can be a powerful tool that can have very real, undesirable consequences on your offline life if not used responsibly.

And whilst our warnings are often serious, there are always the more light-hearted moments of social media carelessness that serve to entertain as much as they do to counsel.

And often, just like the case of Anthony James Lescowitch Jr., they often feature bumbling criminals and the law.

You see, Lescowitch Jr. had been wanted by the Freeland Police for over three months, and after the police department posted a wanted picture of him from their Facebook page, Lescowitch Jr. himself expertly demonstrated one of the most ill-advised things a fugitive can do when on the run. He shared his own wanted picture onto his own Facebook timeline.

Only 3 minutes after Freeland police made the original post.

Armed with the information that Lescowitch Jr. was A. using his Facebook account and B. clearly not that bright, police officers managed to organize a sting by contacting Lescowitch Jr. posing as an attractive woman wanting to meet “for a cigarette”.

And of course the blundering fugitive readily agreed, once again displaying an inexplicable ignorance to what it actually means to be on the run from the police.

All in all, it took around 45 minutes from the time Lescowitch Jr. shared the post of himself to being apprehended by the police, leading to the Freeland Police Dept. posting the below message.

The entire story highlights once again that just because you’re acting from the apparent safety of behind your keyboard, the real world consequences can be very real, and also serves as another example of how law enforcement are increasingly using the power of social media to apprehend criminals.

Of course we always advise our readers to use social media responsibly, and always use your common sense. Unless of course you’re a criminal on the run from the police, in which case if you feel the need to be social, go right ahead.