More young people are getting charged by the Weld County District Attorney in Greeley, Hudson, and Evans because of content they have willingly posted on Facebook. Facebook seems to be goldmine of charges waiting to be filed against juveniles and teens throughout Colorado. If teens have pictures of themselves on Facebook that shows them engaging in underage drinking, they may be approached or arrested on charges of Minor in Possession of Alcohol. If a teen or high school students suggests they are using marijuana and police know they are not 21, they could face Marijuana Possession Charges. Recently, a young man was arrested for DUI and several other charges after he bragged on his Facebook status about driving home drunk and hitting another vehicle.
Police are trolling Facebook accounts across Weld County and Colorado, and two more teen boys are added to their list of suspects. These boys are being accused of cyber bullying over Facebook and have been contacted by police regarding charges of Harassment (CRS 18-9-111). These boys are allegedly behind a Facebook group that has posted inappropriate content about students at their high school. They insulted many people and made derogatory comments over the social media network. Even though these boys did not physically hurt someone, police still want to charge them with harassment because of the possibility that crimes could be committed against other individuals because of the website. While these boys acted wrongly, the question remains of whether they actually have done anything criminal. It sounds like police officers are trying to jump the gun and make arrests and press charges that may hurt future employment or college acceptance as a pre-emptive strike.
As a juvenile or young adult, you are in a more precarious position than older adults when facing criminal charges. Many young people at the age of eighteen or nineteen are trying to apply for colleges or jobs. They have their whole future to worry about, and losing out on good employment, scholarships, or top universities has a very devastating effect on someone’s future just starting out.
If you are a juvenile and have been approached by Greeley police for a felony or misdemeanor crime in Weld County, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009. Together, we can protect your future.