Police Find NY Fugitive with Facebook & Myspace Info
Christopher Crego helped make police work a whole lot easier.
Instead of wearing out shoe leather trying to track down the 39-year-old fugitive, police simply read the information Crego posted on Facebook and MySpace making clear where he worked.
Lockport police posted a thank-you note on Crego's Facebook page saying: "It was due to your diligence in keeping us informed that now you are under arrest."
According to the Associated Press, the western New Yorker had been on the run since last fall when he skipped his sentencing hearing for assault charges.
Lockport police passed on information about Crego to U.S. marshals. Police said he not only posted his workplace information but even the hours he worked.
In addition, Crego posted comments declaring that "police will never catch me" and information about his criminal history.
Authorities arrested him at a tattoo parlor where he was working in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In the fall, Crego failed to show up for a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to assault. He also was charged with drunk driving, possession of marijuana and using a BB gun to kill birds.
Crego's case, like teen driver Ashley M. Sullivan, who was convicted of killing her boyfriend while drunk driving and later saw her punishment perhaps heightened after posting Facebook photos captioned "Drunk in Florida," illustrates how law enforcement use social networking sites as a part of their investigative work.
Information including when photos and videos were posted, and from which computer, can be subpoenaed from social media companies, who increasingly provide evidence in a variety of legal cases ranging from murder trials to employment lawsuits.
As for Crego, he is currently in custody in Indiana awaiting extradition back to Lockport.
- Lockport Suspect Captured Through Facebook (wkbbw.com)
- Wanted NY Man's Web Postings Lead To His Arrest (wcbstv.com)
- Facebook Poke Could Lead to Jail Time (FindLaw's Blotter)
- Criminal Defense FAQ (provided by Law Offices of Carla J. Zolman, L.L.C.)
- Criminal Defense News (provided by James M. Porfido, Attorney at Law)
