There is a growing satirical-yet-based-in-reality opinion these days that suggests that unless you post a selfie or an Instagram of you doing something, you didn’t actually do anything. It’s laughable yet somewhat depressing that the only way some people can enjoy a walk in the woods these days is if they can upload that perfect picture of the nature trail with a black and white filter and the ironic hastag #OffTheGrid. So I guess we shouldn’t really be surprised that the sentiment “pics or it didn’t happen” appears to have made its way into the crime game.
According to a police report out of Appleton, Minnesota, officers were able to track down and arrest four teens who were implicated in a burglary because they posted damning pictures on the social media app Snapchat.
Stupid Snaps
The story all began back in January when an unnamed 16-year-old told a trio of friends that he planned to break into the Appleton Golf Club, which was closed for the season. Wanting to see if the 16-year-old was true to his word, the three other teens drove to the golf course parking lot. After a few minutes, the group of teens saw the 16-year-old walk out of the building carrying a tote of alcohol. The teens gave the other boy a ride to one of their houses, where they decided it would be a great idea to post a few pictures of their stolen goods on Snapchat. A video posted to Snapchat shows two teens with multiple bottle of alcohol, and two other teens were later identified by their voices in the video.
A concerned viewer tipped police of to the Snapchat video an hour after police first learned of the break-in at the golf course. They sent a car over to the 16-year-old’s home, and although the police found many of the stolen bottles at the residence, the teen argued that he had been set up by the other three teens. After talking with the teens and analyzing all the evidence, police decided to charge the 16-year-old with felony and misdemeanor charges. Since the Appleton Golf Club and clubhouse is owned by the city of Appleton, the teen was charged with second-degree burglary of a government building and receiving stolen property. Two other juveniles who were in the car that night face the same charges, and an 18-year-old faces the sames charges in adult court, along with charges of driving after suspension and underage drinking and driving.
Appleton police officer Cody Thompson said he believes the app played a big role in bringing the youths to justice.
“I think, by the sounds of it, [Snapchat] was a good factor in bringing some of the suspects out and forward,” said Officer Thompson.
Thompson added that his department often relies on tips and information found on the social media site Facebook, but he believes this is the first time they’ve used Snapchat to solve a crime. He also said he wouldn’t be surprised if the department began looking at Snapchat more regularly.
“That’s definitely something that I can see becoming more common,” he said.
The four suspects each have an initial court hearing on May 10.
