Fugitive Debates Facebook Commenters on Own 'Most Wanted' Pic

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By Sam Laird2013-11-15 20:58:08 UTC

Welcome to the 21st century, where a local news station uses Facebook to post a photo of one of the area's most wanted fugitives. And welcome to the 21st century, where said fugitive comments on his own mugshot to call other commenters "goddam keyboard warriors" and remind them that things "aren't always as they appear."

Nicholas Emond was arrested Friday morning in Somersworth, N.H., by the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force and the Maine Violent Offenders Task Force. He was wanted for release violations after a previous conviction as a felon in possession of a firearm, authorities said.

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New Hampshire TV station WMUR posted Emond's photo to its Facebook page on Wednesday as part of its weekly "Most Wanted Wednesday" feature. Lo and behold, Emond himself appears to have quickly jumped into the comments under the profile name "Sin Demon" after people began mocking and criticizing his appearance and facial tattoos.

Emond wrote in one comment:

"No I was on supervised release and refused to go to a homeless shelter because get this Im not homeless no guns no madness that's it and they're wasting your tax money trying to [hunt] me down for complete bull ..."

Some additional commenters came to his defense, while Emond's participation only seemed to antagonize others. "This is my brother he's not.a.bad guy at all just got a bad rap how about the news and cops go do real work and find the bad guys leave Nick alone," one wrote. Referencing the post's initial question, another joked, "I think a more apt question would be has this imbecile seen himself?"

Commenting on your own "Most Wanted" photo isn't likely to a be a best practice endorsed by any legal or social media expert. But it's important to note that police say Emond's eventual arrest wasn't actually a result of his digital trail. It came down to old-fashioned, shoe-leather police work, deputy U.S. Marshall Jeffrey White told Mashable.

"This was the result of a lot of groundwork in Maine and New Hampshire and of officers on the ground out talking to a lot of people," White said.

Image: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Topics: U.S., US & World, World