This has nothing to do with genealogy but I thought it was interesting. It is also a sign of the times in which we live and illustrates the power and the privacy concerns of social networking sites.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice in Columbia, S.C., a man's message on his MySpace page helped authorities arrest him on bank robbery charges.
Joseph Wade Northington, 27, of Roanoke, Va., pleaded guilty Thursday in a Columbia, S.C., federal court to using a firearm during a violent crime.
On January 20, during a visit to North Augusta, S.C. Northington allegedly robbed the Security Federal Bank there of $3,924. After he returned to Virginia, Northington, who had a gunshot scar on his face, used MySpace, and accessed his page. There investigators found that he had posted a message mentioning the robbery: "One in the head still ain't dead!!!!!! On tha run for robbin a bank Love all of yall."
Nine days later, Northington was arrested in Virginia.
Northington is now facing a fine of $250,000 and imprisonment for a minimum of seven years and a maximum of life. By Thursday, Northington's MySpace page was still up with the status reading "Wanted."
I am guessing that this man is not a member of the Mensa Society. I am also guessing he will have some difficulty keeping his MySpace page updated regularly from his prison cell.
A word of advice to everyone: be careful what you post on publicly-visible web sites!
