As a frequent shopper of Kentucky’s many outlet and grocery stores, it’s not all uncommon to run into an odd character or two. It might be a heavyset middle-aged dude rocking a mullet and a shirt that looks like it’s not been washed since the 70s or it’s one of those families that make the Honey Boo Boo clan look normal. What I never expect to see is anything weird from the numerous pastors in the community, but there’s always an exception, right?
WBKO reports that Kevin Lohse, the pastor at Woodlawn Baptist Church in Russellville, KY, was arrested after a woman reported that a man had exposed himself to her daughter in a local outlet store. Bizarrely, not only did this take place during the day, but he had his son with him at the time as well.
What makes this story particularly interesting is that Lohse might have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for that pesky Facebook. After receiving the report, the police combed through surveillance footage and found a grainy image of the man. They posted the image on Facebook asking for any leads, and Lohse turned himself in after the image had been shared 645 times.
After the arrest, the police department shared the following in the comments of the original post:
This is a prime example of community policing. Due to an overwhelming number of people who have shared this photo, we now have charges pending against the perpetrator in this case. You are our most valuable resource…Thank you!
This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last, that Facebook has been used to catch criminals. More often than not, however, these criminals are the kind who publicly provoke and taunt police officers on Facebook themselves. While Lohse didn’t provoke police or share his own “wanted poster”, he would have been caught sooner or later as it’s hard to hide in a small town of 6,900 people when your face has been shared over 600 times on Facebook.
Image via Russellville Police Department/Facebook