A 17-year-old New York teenager was taken into custody by the authorities on Jan. 18 after he was accused of posting threatening statuses on his Facebook account. The authorities alleged that statuses included death threats against police officers and posts of self-taken pictures that included firearms and marijuana. The posts were reportedly found during routine monitoring of social media sites.
On Jan. 15, for example, the teenager allegedly updated his status with a picture that showed him with a revolver and ammunition in his possession. Later the same day, the teenager allegedly posted a status that included a police officer emoji with several gun emojis. On Jan. 17, a second picture was posted that showed the teenager in possession of a gun. Additionally, the teen had what was thought to be marijuana stuck in the waistband in his pants.
After finding the posts, authorities were reportedly able to obtain a search warrant from the district attorney’s office. They took the teenager into custody at his Bushwick home on Jan. 18 at approximately 2:46 a.m. Police reportedly seized a .38 caliber weapon and approximately 25 grams of marijuana. He was charged with criminal use of drugs, criminal possession of a weapon and for making terrorist threats, among other offenses.
New York authorities take what are perceived to be threats very seriously, even if the alleged threat is posted on social media sites. An individual who has been served such charges might benefit from discussing their case with an attorney who is familiar with criminal defense strategies. That attorney might review the different elements of the incident and could try to build a case that seeks to protect a client’s rights and to serve the client’s interests.
Source: DNAinfo, “Teen Arrested After Using Gun Emojis in Threats to Kill Police,” Serena Dai, Jan. 22, 2015