As we continue our collective foray into the brave new world of social networking, we keep learning the same lesson over and over again: don't post photos of yourself doing stupid things. This is doubly true if said stupid thing is illegal, as yet another intellectually challenged Facebook user has discovered.
17-year-old Ashley Sullivan had been driving with her boyfriend in Tonawanda, a town in New York State near Niagara Falls, when she crashed into a brick pillar at 56 mph in a golf course. Her boyfriend did not survive the accident, and in November of 2009, Sullivan pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and driving while intoxicated.
That didn't stop Sullivan from posting a photo a month later to her Facebook page with the caption of "Drunk in Florida." It just so happens that she had just gone to Florida on a trip, and the judge in her case took notice. Judge Matthew J. Murphy III denied Sullivan youthful offender status, noting that she hasn't "earned it," and sentenced her to six months in jail with five years probation. "I'm troubled by your conduct since the crash, and that's the reason for the jail sentence," Judge Murphy III told her, according to the Buffalo News (via SAI).
This is just one of (what's now becoming) a pattern of stories about people making poor Facebook decisions, especially when it comes to posting pictures. Employers don't like to see you partying at the club, insurance companies don't like to see you dancing at your birthday party when you're missing work due to depression, and judges most certainly don't like to see you posting pics of you drinking after you killed someone in a drunk driving accident.
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