WebProNews

Tag: Crime

  • Steve Jobs’ House Burglarized, $60K Worth of Property Stolen

    The home of late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs was broken into on July 17th, according to the Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney. According to the technology crimes unit, more than $60,000 worth of computers and various “personal items” were stolen in the burglary.

    Authorities have yet to reveal the specific items that were taken, and won’t even say whether or not any or all of them belonged to Jobs.

    The alleged culprit is 35-year-old Kariem McFarlin, who was arrested on August 2nd and arraigned on August 7th. He’s been charged with burglary and selling stolen property, and could face up to seven years and eight months in jail for the crime if convicted. Police say that he could also face an additional year in jail since the theft was deemed “excessive.”

    McFarlin is currently in jail on $500,000 bail and is set to enter a plea on August 20th.

    It’s unclear whether or not McFarlin robbed Steve Jobs’ home because it was Steve Jobs’ home, or if he had no idea whose home he was burglarizing. For what it’s worth, the DA doesn’t think that he was aware of whose home it was.

    Palo Alto has seen a huge upswing in burglaries as of late – a whopping 63% spike. And they’re not the only Bay Area town to see these types of crimes with higher frequency. Patrol inadequacies and street talk concerning “easy targets” are said to be possible factors. So the late Jobs’ home could have simply been hit during a period of increased criminal activity.

    Jobs passed away on October 5th due to complications from a hard-fought bout with pancreatic cancer. His life will be the subject of two upcoming films, one starring Ashton Kutcher and the other penned by Aaron Sorkin.

    [via Mercury News]

  • Two Jailers Forget It’s a Tad Improper to Friend Request Inmates on Facebook

    I’m not a jailer, nor have I ever been involved in my state’s prison system. But I think I can still safely say that these two Jail Deputies from Oconee County, Georgia probably should have known better.

    Deputy Dewayne Powers has been fired and Deputy Andrea Rogers has resigned following an internal investigation that revealed inappropriate communications with a 23-year-old female inmate. According to a note on the Oconee County Facebook page, both men had sent the woman friend requests on Facebook.

    Powers had been employed by the county since November of 2010, and Rogers since August of the same year.

    To be fair, it’s wasn’t just the Facebook friend request that landed the Jail Deputies in hot water. According to NBC News, the “inappropriate communications” extended to texts and face-to-face encounters of a sexual nature while the female inmate was in lockup.

    According to the Sheriff’s Office, both men vehemently denied any sort of inappropriate physical contact, but did both admit to the electronic communications.

    “We do not normally issue information releases on disciplinary actions; however, we do in this case in response to rumors about sexual acts between staff and inmates and several media inquiries into the matter. We stress again that there is no evidence on any actual physical contact having taken place, and such was adamantly denied by all parties involved,” says Sheriff Scott Berry.

    [Powers, top, and Rogers, left courtesy of Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, Facebook]

  • Man Arrested After Butt-Dialing 911 During Drug Deal

    Before the omnipresence of “slide to unlock” touchscreens and passcodes, it seemed like I was the recipient of an accidental call at least once a week. We’ve all been there – and if you’re the one unknowingly blabbing to a friend, or singing loudly (and badly) in your car, it could lead to at least a few moments of embarrassment.

    To say the least…

    But most butt-dial horror stories involve the disclosure of sensitive information, or in the worst cases an unwilling broadcast of some more…private times. Most butt-dials don’t wind up throwing you in the slammer.

    Unfortunately for 24-year-old Justin Kryzanowski of Scranton, Pensylvania, his butt-dial wasn’t most butt dials.

    The Times-Tribune is reporting that Kryzanowski is facing possession charges (drugs, paraphernalia, and weapons) after a very unlucky accidental call led police to his door. According to the report, Kryzanowski most an unwitting call to 911 while in the middle of a drug deal. The Lackawanna County dispatch center captured the entire deal on recording, and notified Scranton police of the “open line” to “narcotics activity.”

    Police later tracked Kryzanowski to his place of residence. There, they found syringes of Suboxone, various types of prescription medication, paraphernalia, and a set of brass knuckles. They also found Kryzanowski, a little messed up from the drugs.

    And sure enough, his cellphone was found to be the one that made the unfortunate 911 call.

    Surprisingly enough, this isn’t the first time in recent memory that a butt-dial has led to the foiling of a criminal plot. Back in December of 2011, two men were arrested as they tried to rob a video game store after police listened to them plot the heist for nearly an hour beforehand.

    On of the two men had accidentally called 911.

  • What Should Facebook Do About All Of These James Holmes Pages?

    I’m not really sure of my purpose behind reporting this. And I’m not really sure what this says about the internet, Facebook, people in general – if anything. Maybe it says something about our culture, and how criminals are made into celebrities by the 24-hour news cycle. Maybe it’s merely a commentary on just how large of a tragedy the Aurora theater shooting really was – that so many people would feel compelled to do this on a public forum like Facebook.

    Maybe it’s because it can compel a vigorous debate on free speech and distasteful speech, and what Facebook should do in situations like this.

    What should Facebook do about the multitude of pro-James Holmes pages on the site? Should Facebook be in the business of censoring impertinent speech? Let us know in the comments.

    Truly, I’m not sure I can flesh out a deeper meaning to this. All I can say is whoa – there are already an epic amount of James Holmes-related Facebook pages.

    (James Holmes, as you’re probably well-aware, is the alleged perpetrator of last weekend’s brutal theater massacre at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado. His actions left 12 dead and 58 injured.)

    A large majority of the pages that have popped up are simply “public figure” pages. They typically have anywhere between a few dozen and a few hundred “likes.”

    Of course, there are also plenty of “James Holmes must rot in hell” and “James Holmes needs to be decapitated” pages.

    But some James Holmes-related pages are insensitive in a typical internet-troll fashion. You’ve got your “Holmes, James Holmes” page, your “James Holmes fan club,” your “Jame’s Holmes didn’t really do anything” page. Ultimate troll award goes to the person who created the “James Holmes – Probably not such a bad guy” page.

    Their only post goes like this:

    James Holmes- Probably not such a bad guy2 days ago

    Learn before you judge; This guy is probably a brilliant young man who had motives for his actions beyond the conventional sense of right and wrong. Just my opinion, but what if, as a discouraged genius who couldn’t find work decided to kill a bunch of stupid people watching a new Batman movie? I truly hope he gets the chance to speak his mind, lest someone else need to acquire their own 15 minutes Powered by socialditto  1 likes ·  61 comments

    Then, you have the newly formed page “James Holmes is a true hero” where they say they are “here to praise our dark knight.” Here’s the photo that stands as that page’s profile pic:

    +50 for humanity that it only has 1 “like” so far.

    I counted over 150 James Holmes-related pages that have already popped up since Friday.

    Facebook has responded to these pages.

    “While incredibly distasteful, [it] doesn’t violate our terms,” they said.

    Indeed, Facebook’s Statement on Rights and Responsibilities clearly states that Facebook users will not “bully, intimidate, or harass” any other user. It also forbids content that is “hate speech, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.” So, unless the James Holmes Facebook pages begin posting content that falls into any of those categories, Facebook will keep out of it.

    “We are heartened that the vast majority of activity on Facebook surrounding this tragedy has been focused on helping the community cope and beginning the healing process in the wake of these events,” said Facebook.

    Of course, this isn’t the first time that Facebook has felt the heat over controversial content on the site. Back in March of 2011, Facebook removed a page called “Third Palestinian Intifada” after a load of pressure from outside groups. In that case, Facebook took a while in removing the page, even though ti clearly called for a violent uprising against a specific ethnic group.

    In August, a post on the Fox News Facebook page concerning an appearance by Blair Scott of American Atheists on the station was inundated with hateful and often violent comments against atheists. The comments included death threats, for instance “Shoot them, shoot to kill” and “Nail them to that cross then display it.” We asked whether or not these kinds of comments were free speech or if Facebook had an obligation to pull them as they incited violence. Fox News ended up deleting the comments before Facebook had to make a decision either way.

    And there continues to be an ongoing battle with breastfeeding activists over Facebook’s removal of many images of mothers feeding their babies.

    So, one could argue that Facebook will remove a post show a natural act because of a hint of a nipple is showing, but will allow other users to upload photoshopped images of President Obama pinning the medal of honor on James Holmes to their pages.

    Then again, the pages that have popped up in praise and support of James Holmes and his actions in Aurora last Friday aren’t really violating any of Facebook’s terms. And it is people’s right to be impertinent, as long as it doesn’t translate into illegal. Is it really Facebook’s job to police disrespectful, distasteful, and otherwise unpopular content? Or does Facebook make the right decision when they allow all kinds of speech to exist on the site? Let us know what you think in the comments.

  • Twitter Jokes About Blowing Up Airports: Now OK in the U.K.

    If you’re traveling around the U.K. and something pisses you off so much that you jokingly tweeting that you’re going to blow an airport “sky high” – have no fear. That’s because there is now precedent for the legality of your statements.

    A 28-year-old Northern Ireland man has won an appeal and had a prior conviction overturned by the High Court in London. His earlier conviction, which occurred in 2010, stemmed from a tweet he made at the Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster.

    Admittedly frustrated by the fact that the airport’s service were closed for snow, Paul Chambers sent out a tweet saying:

    Crap! Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!

    Of course, Chambers declared that the tweet was just a joke said in a moment of severe frustration. But in May 2010, he was convicted of sending a “menacing electronic communication.” His first appeal went nowhere. But this time, the judge agreed that the tweet was clearly a joke, and not menacing at all.

    And let’s be honest here – this kind of tweet would be highly unusual for someone planning true terroristic activity.

    Through the ordeal, Chambers has some friends in high places – including actor and comedian Stephen Fry. He tweeted his support for Chambers throughout his appeal process, using the hashtag #twitterjoketrial.

    “I am relieved, vindicated – it is ridiculous it ever got this far,” Chambers told the BBC.

    [Via BBC]

  • China Arrests 10,000 In Campaign Targeting Internet Crime

    China is becoming more and more of a progressive nation in terms of economic policies and personal freedoms. That being said, the communist government still flexes their power from time to time. It’s unfortunate that the Internet was the victim in the latest round of arrests.

    The official Xinhua News agency reports that the Chinese government has arrested over 10,000 suspects since June. These individuals are suspected of Internet crimes which include “spreading lewd content, arms dealing and illegally collecting citizens’ personal information.” On top of the arrests, the government has also busted over 600 “criminal gangs” who have committed “Internet crimes.”

    It doesn’t stop with arrests and gang busting though as China is proving their serious about stopping what they see as Internet crime. The government has ordered 62 Web sites and online forums that hosted “inappropriate content” while servicing fines to 30 Internet providers that allowed access to “unlicensed Web sites.”

    The government had this to say about the crackdown:

    “Although illegal and harmful information on the Internet has been reduced sharply through intensified crackdowns, fraudulent messages are still seen occasionally… and some telecom service providers are not strict enough when managing websites.”

    The government should be cracking down on online criminals. That much is true and I’m sure some of the people arrested are guilty of stealing information or spreading illegal content. The problem is that some of these arrests might not be for Internet crimes, but rather people using the Internet to criticize the government.

    A BBC report seems to confirm just as much when they confirmed that the chief of the Beijing Public Security Bureau warned Internet users that they faced punishment for attacking the country’s leaders online. The only problem is that the citizens aren’t told what constitutes as an attack. Any form of criticism could be seen as an attack and met with arrest.

    Anonymous has attacked Chinese government Web sites in the past as a way of pushing for more openness on the Web in the country. It will be interesting to see if the Chinese government takes any action against those attacks as part of this latest crackdown. Anonymous may even launch a new attack against China in light of these latest events. It will be interesting to see how things progress either way.

  • Jennifer Hudson: Man Who Murdered Her Family Receives Three Life Sentences

    Jennifer Hudson experienced a loss I hope none of us ever have to face during our lifetimes. In October of 2008, Hudson’s mother, brother, and nephew were murdered by William Balfour, her sister’s estranged ex-husband. Balfour, who spent seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking, and possession of a stolen vehicle, was charged with the crimes in December of 2008, to which he pled not guilty. According to CNN, this horrific event took place one year after Hudson had won an Oscar for her turn in Bill Condon’s “Dreamgirls”.

    In May of 2012, Balfour was convicted of all seven charges, which included three counts of first-degree murder, one count of home invasion, one count aggravated kidnapping, one count residential burglary, and one count possession of a stolen motor vehicle. On Tuesday, the sentence was handed down, and, from what I can tell, Balfour will be spending the rest of his life in prison. For his heartless crimes, Balfour received three life sentences without the possibility of parole. On top of that, he gets an additional 120 years.

    “This significant sentence is appropriate given the heinous and inhumane nature of these crimes which demanded the full force of justice,” Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez explained in a statement to the press. Hudson, meanwhile, has remained silent.

    During the trial, a teary-eyed Hudson was called as a witness for the prosecution. “None of us wanted her to marry him,” the singer said in regards to her brother-in-law. “We did not like how he treated her. Where he was, I tried not to be.”

    Cook County Circuit Judge Charles Burns, meanwhile, had some very stern words for Balfour during his sentencing. “You have the heart of an arctic night,” Burns said to the killer. “Your soul is as barren as dark space.” Balfour, of course, continues to deny the charges.

  • Girl Who Tweeted The Names Of Her Rapists Faces Jail Time [UPDATED]

    As we’ve seen in the past, social media can add some complications to the normal flow of legal proceedings. In recent months, we’ve seen court cases wind up declared mistrials because of the social media activity of jury members.

    Now, it’s the alleged victim in a legal case that’s taking heat for her Twitter activity. Seventeen-year-old Savannah Dietrich of Louisville, Kentucky is facing up to 180 days in jail and $500 fine for a series of tweets she made regarding an open case.

    The Courier Journal reports that Dietrich, who was reportedly the subject of a sexual assault where two young men violated her while she was under the influence and then circulated photos of the event, was upset about what she felt was the unfair plea bargain that the two men received.

    She took to Twitter, where she named the two boys that allegedly assaulted her, saying,

    “There you go, lock me up. I’m not protecting anyone that made my life a living Hell.”

    Another tweet read: “Protect rapist is more important than getting justice for the victim in Louisville.”

    The two boys’ attorneys want the trial Judge to hold Dietrich in contempt, as she has violated a court order to keep confidentiality.

    The defendants have both already plead guilty, but received what amounts to a “slap on the wrist,” according to Dietrich. “So many of my rights have been taken away by these boys. I’m at the point, that if I have to go to jail for my rights, I will do it. If they really feel it’s necessary to throw me in jail for talking about what happened to me as opposed to throwing these boys in jail for what they did to me, then I don’t understand justice.”

    Two different Facebook pages have already been set up in support of Dietrich. “Savannah Dietrich is a victim of Sexual Assault, upon doing the right thing and naming the men who assaulted her, she is being wrongfully punished. Please spread the word,” reads the page Help Savannah Dietrich.

    There’s also a petition on popular online petition site Change.org. They are calling on the Kentucky District Court Judge on the case to dismiss the charges of Dietrich for tweeting the names of her attackers.

    It reads:

    She tweeted the names of her attackers anyway, likely feeling that it is wrong for anyone to get away for what they did to her. Now, she may face jail time for “contempt” because she stated who attacked her. Her punishment may be up to 180 days in jail and a $500 fine. This girl has already been traumatized and abused by her attackers. Now they want to violate her rights and ability to control her body again by putting her in prison, and the twisted laws are on their side.

    Please sign to tell Judge Dee McDonald, stand with rape victims, not their attackers. For too long, rape and assault have gone unreported and un prosecuted. Please do not send Savannah to jail for standing up for herself.

    Whether or not your think that Dietrich was right in her actions or that she violated the law, the only thing that’s certain is that cases like this are only going to increase as more and more people have access to public forums like Facebook and Twitter.

    UPDATE: As of Monday afternoon, defense attorneys for the two boys have withdrawn the motion to hold Dietrich in contempt for tweeting their clients’ names. Since the names have already been tweeted, one defense attorney told the Courier Journal, ““What could contempt do now? Seems like a rather useless exercise doesn’t it?”

  • Porn-Watching Home Invader Left Samples At The Scene

    I’m not exactly sure what prompted 21-year-old Antoine Owens to (allegedly) break into a series of homes with the sole purpose of masturbating to porn, all I know is that my Monday morning thanks him, immensely.

    That’s right, in hey-you-really-don’t-have-it-all-that-bad news, a young man in Oregon has been arrested as police suspect him of committing a string of lewd acts involving the strangest cases of breaking and entering that you’ll ever hear about.

    According to KVAL in Eugene, Owens’ M.O. involved learning the schedules of his target homeowners – all of which lived within a couple of blocks. Once he figured out their daily routines, Owens would break into their houses and have a bit of alone time. He is suspected of doing this at least four times, the latest of which occurred just a couple of months ago.

    A woman reportedly came home to find lube, towels and a cell phone sitting by her computer – which was blaring porn. This time, he was apparently still at the home:

    He managed to open the door and stormed inside, threatening to kill the woman as he grabbed the phone and lube before fleeing the home at Van Buren and 22nd in Eugene.

    At least he managed to grab the lube, I suppose.

    Not every victim caught the man in the act. Some simply came home to find lube and towels near their computers. According to police, Owens was matched to the crime scenes by some DNA that he’d left behind. He’s been charged with four counts of first-degree burglary – although it appears that the only thing he stole was these people’s ability to comfortably use their computers ever again.

    Check out the local news report below, if for no other reason than to see what one neighbor thinks may keep our masturbating menace at bay

  • Moron Brutally Beats Disabled Man To Death, Posts the Video on Facebook

    When it comes to criminals who commit violent acts, it is oftentimes their sheer brutality that is the most shocking element of their crime.

    But when it comes to criminals who involve Facebook in their crimes, the utter stupidity is usually more shocking than anything else.

    Today’s story of idiot Facebook criminals comes from the Windy City, where three men have been charged with first-degree murder after the violent attack that led to the death of a 62-year-old disabled man.

    According to police, the men aged 16,17, and 18 attacked Delfino Mora in an alley. He suffered blunt force trauma that eventually led to his death at a local hospital.

    The youngest suspect, Malik Jones, made it all too easy for police when he posted a video of the beating on Facebook.

    I guess criminals are not that different from the law-abiding portion of the population in one regard: they simply haven’t figured out the fact that Facebook (and other forms of social media) are public forums. Anything you post could wind up biting you in the ass, even if you think you have your privacy settings locked down.

    Just ask the guy who posted pics of syphoning gas from a cop car on Facebook, or the guy who posted photos of all of his cash on the network and was promptly robbed.

    Police in the U.K. analyzed their files and determined that someone commits a crime involving Facebook every 40 minutes – so this latest idiot is definitely not alone. Beating a guy to death is terrible, but posting your crime on Facebook is a whole other level of dumb that I can’t even begin to fathom.

  • Here’s How You Fail at Robbing an Internet Cafe

    The Palms Internet Cafe in Marion County, Florida offers internet access for a reasonable fee, along with sodas, snacks, and a quiet atmosphere.

    But if you plan on attempting to rob it, you should be aware that its patrons are oftentimes armed.

    Two men learned this the hard way, as their heist was promptly shut down by an old guy with a gun and a good sense of right and wrong.

    According to Fox Orlando, the two 19-year-old robbers walked into the cafe and demanded money. Samuel Williams wasn’t having any of that. He pulled out his gun and chased the two men out of the cafe.

    In the process, he shot one in the arm and one in the hip and buttocks. The best part about this is that we have it all on security video:

    After this incident and one in May involving two idiot would-be robbers who forgot to log out of Facebook, it appears that internet cafes are quite the stupid criminal flytrap.

  • Google Targets Cartels, Sex Trafficking With New Google Ideas Initiative

    Google Ideas, Google’s initiative that “convenes unorthodox stakeholders, commissions research, and seeds initiatives to explore the role that technology can play in tackling some of the toughest human challenges,” is now taking on illicit networks.

    There are many kinds of “illicit networks” operating around the world, most of which have devastating effects on those involved. Things like organ trafficking, sex trafficking, drug cartels, and forced labor rings generate and estimated $2.1 trillion a year, money that is a direct results from the victimization and brutalization of millions of victims.

    Today, Google announced that they are partnering up with the Council on Foreign Relations and the Tribeca Film Festival to gather like-minded individuals and groups for the first ever INFO summit in L.A. “INFO” stands for Illicit Networks: Forces in Opposition.

    Here’s what Google has to say in a blog post:

    Too often illicit networks are seen only in the silos of those who study them. This summit aims to break down those silos by bringing together a full-range of stakeholders, from survivors of organ trafficking, sex trafficking and forced labor to government officials, dozens of engineers, tech leaders and product managers from Google and beyond. Through the summit, which lasts until Wednesday, we hope to discover ways that technology can be used to expose and disrupt these networks as a whole—and to put some of these ideas into practice.

    Check out this preview video of the event below:

    Google launched Google Ideas about a year and a half ago, and up until now its main focus has been counter-radicalization. Last summer, Google held a summit for former gang members, religious extremists, and other radicals. The result of that summit was Against Violent Extremism, “a network of former violent extremists, survivors of violent extremism, NGOs, academics, think tanks, and private sector executives who share a common goal: to prevent youth from committing violence.”

    You can track the summit as it happens on the INFO 2012 Youtube channel as well as the Google Ideas Twitter account.

  • Opportunistic Burglars Live and Die by the Facebook Sword

    I have to admit, I’m guilty of one of the most common faux pas in the world of social media. In the same way that you smoke even though you know it can kill you or you go on that carnival ride even though you know your chance of getting sick are pretty high – I post statuses whilst vacationing.

    I know that it’s a risk. I know that telling hundreds of people that I’m 3000 miles from home is like yelling “ROB ME” at the top of my lungs. Although I’d like to think that none of my Facebook friends would ever have anything to do with something so crappy, it’s really impossible to know for sure.

    People post all kinds of personal information on Facebook, but it’s the “I’m away” statuses that used to get a lot of attention. Do you remember being warned a few years back about an epidemic of burglars that were constantly trolling Facebook and picking off the homes of unsuspecting travelers?

    I sure do. And while I never doubted that Facebook could be used for such a malicious purpose, it never really seemed to play out like that for anyone I knew. That’s why it’s amazing to see that some idiots actually used Facebook to rob their friends.

    In Anderson County, South Carolina, a 39-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man reportedly used the site to determine when their friends were out of town, and proceeded to burglarize their homes. “Several” homes were targeted over a couple of months, according to police.

    In a wonderful bit of poetic justice, police ended up catching the couple by posting surveillance footage to their police Facebook page and having the community identify the crooks.

    I’d be a hypocrite to instruct anyone to wait until they get home to post vacation photos and such. Nevertheless, it is the safest strategy. If you really, really want to boast to all of your Facebook friends about your amazing European adventure, there are services out there that will at least fool possible criminals with decoy statuses about being snuggled up at home on your couch.

    [h/t Ars Technica]

  • New App Wants To Be An iWitness To Crime

    It’s a rough world out there, and you can find yourself in a dangerous situation in the blink of an eye. There have always been a variety of tools that people carry in order to feel safe – pepper spray, alert whistles, and it some cases, of course, guns & knives.

    But one company thinks that your smartphone could be the best way to both deter and respond to crime.

    PerpCast Inc.’s new app iWitness says that it will help “prevent crimes from happening, keep them from escalating when they do, make it easier for authorities to catch and prosecute criminals, and provide peace of mind for the user.” Once activated, the app will not only take audio and video of any event, but it will also store that data on a “secure server” that’s only accessible to law enforcement officials (the user will be provided with a copy as well).

    Here’s how it works:

    When you find yourself in a threatening environment (any scenario where you feel things might go down, I guess), you pull out your smartphone and click “Arm iWitness.” After that, you’ll be able to capture audio and video of any incident that arises with a single tap of the screen. If the situation gets even more out of hand, tap the screen again and 911 will be called (after a short delay to account for possible accidental taps).

    If someone manages to knock your phone out of your hand before the opportunity to do that, it will recognize it and still dial 911.

    iWitness will also do a couple more things to notify people around you that you’re in a sticky situation. The app has the ability to send pre-programmed friends and family members a message about your exact whereabouts.

    Finally, as a deterrent, the app not only flashes a bright red light but sounds a loud alarm as well.

    So, wouldn’t a gun just be easier? No, says iWitness:

    Perpetrators are often able to take guns, tasers, or other weaponry from their victims, and use them to escalate their crime. But IWITNESS provides the one thing that criminals fear most, a witness to their actions. So the confrontation is discouraged without the inherent risk of deadly force.

    Of course, a few things have to happen for iWitness to be truly effective. First, users have to know when (and when not) to use it – especially if they get far enough to dial 911. Second, there’s the obvious reliance on people to take video of possible robbers, rapists, and killers – all while presumably terrified.

    But if users can keep up their end, and law enforcement can keep up theirs by monitoring the data – then the app could be incredibly useful in the aftermath of a crime – if not as a deterrent.

    As of now, iWitness is only available on iOS – but an Android app is on its way. The app is free to download but requires a subscription to use ($3.99 a month, $29.99 a year, or $49.99 for a two-year plan).

    [Via CNET]

  • Every 40 Minutes, Some Idiot Commits A Crime Involving Facebook

    Facebook, on its own, isn’t dangerous. Despite the fact that we occasionally hear stories about stalkings, harassment, child predation, theft, and many more crimes involving the social network, you have to remember that Facebook is just that: a social network. It connects people together, but in order for any of those connections to be malicious in any way, at least one of the persons involved in the connection has to have some untoward intent.

    In short, Facebook doesn’t make people look like idiots. Idiots make idiots look like idiots. Facebook, since its inception, has simply been there to to a splendid job highlighting the biggest morons around the world. And oh what a job it has done.

    As you hopefully know by now, I love Facebook idiots (n. A person(s) who engages in idiotic (usually criminal) behavior and uses Facebook to brag, promote, or explain said activity). The universe gives me little presents every few weeks wrapped in little pink bows that read “shit-for-brains,” and I laugh and cry in some odd mixture of schadenfreude and deep, depressing sadness for the human race.

    Just in the last year, I’ve told you about the guy who logged into Facebook before robbing an internet cafe. That didn’t end well for him. What about the Einstein who took a bunch of pictures while stealing gas from a cop car and proceeding to post them publicly on Facebook? He made me feel better about myself. Remember our two genius husbands, not more than a few months apart, one who punched his wife in the face for not liking his status and the other who called 911 when his wife wouldn’t let him browse his news feed in peace?

    There are so many more where that came from, but I wouldn’t want to kill your total faith in our civilization.

    So, why do I bring up Facebook idiots? Because apparently, people are using Facebook as either the tool or as an accomplice for crime even more than I imagined.

    According to figures released by half the police forces in England and Wales, there’s a crime involving Facebook reported to them every 40 minutes. That’s right, the folks across the pond can’t collectively go an hour without doing something stupid involving Facebook. I don’t expect that our figures in the States would be any better.

    In all, they reported 12,300 alleged offenses involving Facebook last year alone. It’s important to note that the report says “alleged offenses,” so presumably some of these didn’t pan out.

    According to the numbers, Facebook was cited as relevant to cases involving murder, rape, assault, child exploitation, witness intimidation, and death threats. Most of the cases stemmed from allegations of intimidation, or cyberbullying, however.

    Some of my Facebook idiot stories sound a bit tame compared to those about people using the network to facilitate child rape, murder, and the like. Then again, I do seem to recall being shocked at one of the most intricate sexual exploitation plots I’ve ever heard of playing out on Facebook just a few months ago.

    But my previous point remains. Hate the player, I guess. Although Facebook can facilitate idiotic (and even more harmful) crime, social media can’t be the enemy. Recently, we told you about the rumor that Facebook is possibly opening up the site to kid under the age of thirteen. I’m sure that figures like this will be cited by opponents. In the end, a large majority of these types of crimes can be avoided on the victim’s end by some simple measures to ensure privacy and if the victim is a little bit younger, some much-needed intervention from a parent.

    [Via DailyMail]

  • If You’re Going to Rob an Internet Cafe, You Should Probably Log Out of Facebook

    Few things have come along in the last century that have given the population the opportunity to display such a high level of idiocy quite like Facebook. Of course, people all around the world have been doing stupid things for hundreds and hundreds of years – but ever since Facebook popped up and started making everything public, it just feels like people are getting dumber.

    Especially criminals.

    Quick fact about me: I love nothing more than stupid criminals. I delight in bringing you the stories of one particular kind of stupid criminal – the Facebook idiot. The fun thing about that task is that there’s a plethora of such idiots out there, doing stupid stuff involving Facebook every day. Today, we take a trip to Colombia to find our latest jackasses.

    In northern Cali, Colombia, two men went into an internet cafe, sat down, and began to browse Facebook. Our geniuses spent a little bit of time browsing other parts of the internets before making their way to the cashier desk to pay for the rendered services. Some of you can see where this is going – our guys didn’t really feel like paying. Instead, they demanded all the cash in the register, stole a motorcycle, and made their getaway.

    Only one problem – Idiot #1 forgot to log out of Facebook.

    As you can imagine, after this lapse in judgement, Colombian officials didn’t have too hard of a time procuring the assailant’s home address. He was arrested shortly thereafter.

    It’s clear that some people just can’t resist the allure of social networking – even with robbery on their minds. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of something like this happening. Back in the States in 2009, a Pennsylvania man was arrested after he broke in to a house, stole a couple of diamond rings, and left his Facebook page open on the victim’s home computer.

    Just a few weeks ago, a Kentucky man decided to do something truly idiotic – syphon gas from a police cruiser. Then, when you thought he couldn’t get any dumber, he surprised everyone nobody by putting a photo of the crime on Facebook.

    Last year saw a few notable Facebook idiots. Between the guy posting activity of his vandalism on Facebook to the dude who taunted cops to find him via the social network (they did), we see that Facebook dumbasses know no geographical boundaries.

    [El Tiempo via Digital Trends]

  • Posting Nude Pics Of Ex On Facebook Lands Man In Jail

    Hopefully, most of us have learned that in order to keep your online life from damaging parts of your offline life, a little discretion is key. Those that get this choose to filter what they put up on Facebook and Twitter for all the world to see. Skipping work to spend a day at the races? Leave that drunk photo of you and your friends at the track on your iPhone.

    But even if most people have learned to be careful about their own online reputation, there’s always one thing that’s completely out of their control – other people, of course.

    And particularly jilted ex-lovers.

    Your Facebook idiot of the week is comes from all the way down under, as an Australian man is looking at jail time for posting some nudie pics of his ex-girlfriend on the site. The Sydney Morning Herald calls it the “first social-networking-related conviction in Australian history and one of just a handful in the world.”

    According to reports, Ronnie Usmanov didn’t waste much time lashing out at his ex-girlfriend. Only three months after the unidentified women left him, he threw the sexy pics on Facebook. The images were of the nude variety and clearly showed her breasts and genitals. Apparently, he then emailed her to tell her that”some of [her] photos are now on Facebook.”

    When asked why he did it, Usmanov told the police:

    ‘I put the photos up because she hurt me and it was the only thing [I had] to hurt her.”

    Simple, sad, unsurprising. It’s just the way it is – every little secret that anyone has is potential ammunition these days. Not that people didn’t use things against people for revenge purposes before social networking, but back in the day, the airing of grievances wasn’t as much of a public broadcast.

    Usmanov was apologetic, and said that that it was a irrational decision made on the spur-of-the-moment. All of this might be true, but that’s just the point. We’re dealing with Facebook here – before you cool down and realize what you’ve done, hundreds of people have already seen your mistake. It’s immediate, and simply doesn’t favor those with a hair trigger.

    For his “spur-of-the-moment” move, Usmanov was sentenced to six months in jail.

  • If You Steal Gas From A Cop Car And Post It On Facebook…

    Another Thursday morning, and another story of idiocy played out on the public. The most public of stages, of course: Facebook.

    It’s probably not a good idea to siphon gas from anyone’s car. Not only is it a crime, but it’s also just a crappy thing to do to somebody. But let’s say you’re going to steal some gas. In that case, it’s probably not a good idea to steal it from a police officer. Ok, I understand if you have to steal it from a cop. But if you do, I would strongly advise against putting a photo of the act on Facebook.

    I’ll take a pause for your inevitable facepalm.

    According to The Smoking Gun, 20-year-old Michael Baker is facing charges after he stole gas from a Jenkins, Kentucky police car. The evidence for the crime was found on his Facebook page. The official complaint reads as follows:

    The above defendant unlawfully: Committed the offense of Theft by Unlawful Taking <$500 when he stole gas from a Jenkins City Police Cruiser with the intent to deprive them thereof valued at less than $500. Defendant posted a picture of the theft on Facebook.

    And there you have it. Baker told a local news station that it was all just a joke:

    “We was just standing there and thought it would be funny to take a picture and then post it on Facebook,” he said. “I mean, if we was going to steal gas, we wouldn’t put it nationwide on Facebook. We don’t steal anyway, but we’re sorry. I got a little bit of gas, I ain’t gonna lie, but not much. I couldn’t get much. I tried, but there wasn’t much in it.”

    The photo has been deleted from Facebook, but will live on thanks to some screencaps (as you can see above). But Baker is still talking about the arrest, saying he just got out of jail on Tuesday.

    (image)

    “Yea lol I went to jail over Facebook,” he says in the comments. “Yea lol u would just have to seen it it was funny as hell tho.”

    (image)

    This one’s a little personal to me, as Mr. Baker hails from my home state of Kentucky. But let’s be honest, people are doing a fine job making themselves looks like idiots on Facebook all over the place. A Florida man recently called 911 when his wife wouldn’t let him browse Facebook in peace. A Texas couple was arrested in February for bragging about vandalizing someone’s Jeep Wrangler on Facebook. Last year, some guy taunted police on Facebook, baiting them to find him. They did.

    And the examples go on and on. As long as we have social media, it appears we will have idiots who get themselves in trouble with it.

  • Chinese Kidney-For-iPad Case Sees Multiple Arrests

    Last June, we told you about the truly WTF case of a 17-year-old Chinese high-schooler who made some deals and eventually ended up in a hospital getting his kidney extracted by black market surgeons. He gave up the organ for money – which is shocking enough on its own.

    But it was the reason for wanting the money that really made you go “huh.” The boy told Chinese newspapers that he just wanted to buy an iPad 2, but lacked the proper funds.

    “I wanted to buy an iPad 2 but could not afford it. A broker contacted me on the Internet and said he could help me sell one kidney for 20,000 yuan,” he said.

    According to a Reuters report, it looks as though some charges have been filed in the case. The incident, which reportedly happened in April 2011, was still being investigated when we last told you about it. Now, five men have been charged with intentional injury – one of the five being the actual surgeon who allegedly performed the operation.

    Apparently, one of the men charged (the orchestrator, it seems) received 220,000 yuan (around $35,000) to make the whole thing happen. 22,000 yuan went to the boy himself, and he split up the rest among the surgeon and nurses who performed the surgery.

    When we last reported on the kid, we mentioned that his health was in decline. That hasn’t changed – he is currently suffering renal failure.

    Just a note: The surname that the Reuters report gives for the boy involved doesn’t match the surname given when the story broke last summer. Back then is was “Zheng,” and now the kid’s being called “Wang.” All of the other info matches up, however – including the timeframe, all the monetary amounts mentioned, the locations of the boy’s home as well as the hospital where the surgery took place. We’re assuming this is the same kid – as no other kidney for iPad stories have emerged in the past few months.

    What’s the craziest thing you would do for a piece of technology that you really wanted? Let us know in the comments.

  • Guy Calls 911 When Wife Wouldn’t Let Him Browse Facebook In Peace

    Doyle Hardwick just wanted to check out Facebook without the over-the-shoulder prying of his dear wife Julie. So he boozed her up in the hopes that she’d eventually just go to bed. When that didn’t work according to plan, he decided that it was a matter for the police.

    According to the Tampa Bay Times, the 57-year-old Hardwick called 911 to report a looming wife.

    Caller (CLR) “says him and his wife are sitting next to each other,” the 911 transcript reads. “CLR is upset because she won’t go to bed. Now they are bickering about who has been drinking. CLR has had 4 beers. Wife has had 8 beers. … CLR is upset because she wouldn’t let him look at Facebook peacefully.”

    When the officers arrived, they said that both of the parties appeared calm, but it was pretty evident that booze was involved. Hardwick explained to the officers that he had made an arrangement with his wife, that if he gave her the beers, she would eventually go to sleep. Then, he would be free to do whatever he pleased – creep on Facebook most likely one of the top possibilities.

    “I just wanted someone to make my wife do what I wanted her to do,” Hardwick told the police.

    Apparently, you can’t enlist the law to make your wife go to bed. Because of this little spat, Hardwick was arrested and charged with “misuse of 911.” This won’t bet his first time facing this charge, apparently. A couple of years ago, he got into trouble for calling 911 to report that this neighbors were “defecating into vehicle fuel tanks.”

    People can be idiots when it comes to Facebook – both on the site itself (status updates and such) and surrounding the use of it (this case). In October of 2011, a man was charged with assault after he reportedly punched his wife in the face because she failed to like one of his statuses. People can also call 911 for idiotic reasons. Take for instance the drunk guy who called 911 to report that his iPhone wasn’t working.

    This story combines the best of both worlds, and for that, we salute you Doyle.

    One last thing – that name. Doyle Hardwick, Doyle Hardwick…ah yes. Sounds a little bit like Doyle Hargraves from film Sling Blade. I imagine that Mr. Hardwick’s initial dispute with his wife went down like this (some NSFW language):

    [h/t Digital Life]

  • Royal Oak: Elderly Woman’s Brutal Slaughter in Home Leads to No Knock List

    Royal Oak: Elderly Woman’s Brutal Slaughter in Home Leads to No Knock List

    After the brutal murder of 80 year old Nancy Daily, the City of Royal Oak may generate a no knock list to keep solicitors from approaching residences.

    Nancy was allegedly murdered on November 20th by two parolees, Tonia Watson (40) and Alan Wood (48), the pair was poor and addicted to drugs. A few weeks before her grim end in November, Nancy hired the two to rake her yard and paid them $40 for a half an hour’s worth of work.

    When the couple ran out of money they devised their plan to steal from Nancy: “Watson would knock on the front door, while Wood snuck into the home from a side door off the driveway.”

    Their plan did not go as smoothly as they had hoped, one they got Nancy’s debit card they asked her for her pin but she couldn’t remember it because she suffered from dementai.

    Royal Oak Detective Carl Baretto detailed in court what Watson told him about the crime ” … Watson then stated that Wood left Dailey crying in pain on the floor – Watson stated that Wood pulled out and unfolded his knife and told her, “you know what I have to do.” Watson said she knew that Wood was going to kill Nancy Daily because she would be able to identify them. Watson then said that Wood used his knife to cut Nancy Daily’s throat and stab her in the neck,” Baretto read in court.

    Wood got very upset and pulled her hair, stomped on her head, and eventually bound her to a chair where he slit her throat.

    (image)

    With this horrific occurrence in mind it is understandable why residents are trying to establish the no knock list.

    According to CBS Detroit, Attorney Dave Gillam said “A homeowner would have the ability to have their name and address put on that list. And, essentially, that would make it illegal or unlawful for a solicitor to approach someone at that address for commercial purposes.”

    However, Gillam went on to say that he doubts that the list will protect people in the long run: ““If people wanna do bad things, they’re gonna find a way to do bad things anyway. Having a no knock list isn’t a complete safeguard for anyone,” he said. “It may be another tool in the toolbox, but it really isn’t the answer. And people always need to be careful and always need to be attentive.”

    Molly lives in downtown Royal Oaks and said that she is bombarded with solicitors on the weekend. She claims that she gets up to three people coming to her door a day. She finds this type of marketing/networking threatening and invasive.

    Are you tired of salesman knocking on your door? Do you think that door-to-door sales creates safety risks? Would you add your name to the no knock list?

    Many seniors in Royal oak are in support of making the list a reality.