By Jim Muir
As a social media outlet Facebook provides a great resource for staying in touch with friends, reconnecting with former classmates and staying up to date on local news.
A Christopher man has found out the hard way it’s also a venue where threats are taken seriously.
Lyle E. Payne, 35, was arrested by Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies after he threatened to shoot his neighbor about a dispute over dogs.
Sheriff Don Jones said authorities were made aware of the incident and viewed the post where Payne threatened to shoot his neighbor in the face. Payne was taken into custody and charged with harassment through electronic communication – a new law that is a Class B misdemeanor.
Jones said the growing popularity of social media sites like Facebook prompted the new law and the longtime law enforcement officer offered advice to Internet users regarding threatening comments.
“People making threats is becoming more and more of a problem and we take those threats very seriously, we have to these days,” said Jones. “The new laws were passed because of situations just like this one. People need to stop and think for a minute before they make a post that is threatening. Again, I want to stress that we take this very seriously.”
Payne’s bond was set at $1,500 and he posted $150 bail and was released.
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.