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Crime & Safety

Facebook Messages Can and Do Spark Arrests

The following information was supplied by the Batavia Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

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Rick Nagel, Community Contributor

By Ted Schnell

Facebook, Twitter and other social media have become the places where people show off, posting photos, making smart-alecky comments and sharing thoughts or events in their lives. It's also a simple communication tool—like email or the telephone—that can be monitored by police and used to fight crime.

A recent case in point took place in St. Charles, but similar reports have shown up in blotter items from Batavia and Geneva.

James Edward Huver, 35, of the 3N700 block of Baert Lane, St. Charles, was charged at 3:56 p.m. Saturday, June 29, 2013, at the St. Charles Police Department, 211 N. Riverside Drive, with violation of bail bond over 16 Facebook messages to his former girlfriend..

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According to police, Huver and his ex-girlfriend signed a no-contact bail bond on June 21, 2013, which prohibited any type of contact.  But, police said, on June 27 and June 28, Huver reportedly sent 16 Facebook messages to the woman, in direct violation of the no-contact bail bond, leading to his arrest.

He posted $150 cash bond and was released pending a July 29, 2013 court appearance.

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While arrests related to Facebook posts are uncommon, they are not unheard of, and social media even have become investigative tools. An article a year ago on the Elgin news website BocaJump outlined how police there are using social media in law enforcement. In one instance, detectives scouring over gang-related Facebook posts were able to build a part of their case against two boys, then 15, who were charged with shooting to death a 16-year-old.

  • Patch reports on law enforcement activity in Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify Patch editor Rick Nagel at rickn@patch.com and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.

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