Woman Complains to Cops About Facebook Mug Shot, Gets Arrested
It can be a major bummer when someone posts an unflattering photo of you on social media.
An Ohio woman was so irritated by a photo of her posted on the Columbus Police Department's Facebook page that she called in, and later came to the station in person to complain, reports The Huffington Post.
Police were more than happy to discuss the issue with her however, being that the woman was wanted on charges of aggravated robbery and kidnapping.
Photo Posted to Facebook for 'Warrant Wednesday'
34-year-old Monica Hargrove was at large after being indicted for aggravated robbery and kidnapping following the armed robbery of an acquaintance in August. Hargrove's mug shot was posted online as part of a weekly 'Warrant Wednesday" series on the Columbus Police Department's Facebook page with contact information for a detective on the case for anyone with information on Hargrove's whereabouts.
However, within 48 hours of the post going online, Hargrove herself called the detective to tell them to take down her picture. After agreeing to come to the station, Hargrove was arrested. "This is a first for us," the department's public information officer told The Huffington Post. "She really didn't want her face out there for everyone to see."
Online Mug Shot Sites
In addition to police departments using mug shots to find criminal suspects, there are also numerous websites which post mug shots online. Like Hargrove, many of those whose mug shots end up online are less than ecstatic about it.
These websites have increasingly been the subject of litigation. A lawsuit against two mug shot websites, which charged up to $500 to remove a photo, was settled earlier this year. In another suit, a Florida woman sued a background check website for using her mug shot in an ad that went viral.
If you find your mug shot online, most mug shot websites will have instructions for how to get your photo removed. And unlike Monica Hargrove, you probably won't have to go to jail to do it.
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Related Resources:
- Woman turns herself in to get unflattering photo off police Facebook page (The Columbus Dispatch)
- Patrick Tribett Sues Those Turning Gold Mugshot into Mugshot Gold (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- Mugshot Websites Sued Over Takedown Fees (FindLaw's Injured)
- Wanted Man Shares Own Mugshot on Facebook, Then Gets Arrested (FindLaw's Legal Grounds)