Click here for updates on this story
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. (KCRA) — A Facebook post that was shared thousands of times led Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies to arrest a man suspected of violating his parole.
Eugene Melady, 57, was taken into custody Tuesday, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department said.
Deputies got a call about a suspicious looking brown van in the Arden area. The caller provided a description of the driver, but at first, deputies had no luck finding him.
The Facebook post, which had detailed information about the suspect and a picture of the brown van, led to a break in the case. The post was shared more than 21,000 times as of Wednesday night.
“That later generated a call, which assisted in locating the vehicle,” Sgt. Shaun Hampton said. “Deputies were able to locate the vehicle based on the information provided by that caller. That caller found the information on a social media site.”
Deputies spotted the van in a parking lot along Arden Way in North Sacramento. Inside, they found several hypodermic needles, Melady and his girlfriend, Hampton said.
Melady was arrested for being under the influence and violating his probation in Kern and Sacramento counties, Hampton said. His girlfriend was released.
However, Hampton said some information shared on Facebook about the suspect was not true.
“It’s important not to run with that information just upon receiving it without having it confirmed,” Hampton cautioned.
He explained that social media does help law enforcement fight and prevent crimes when users share information that’s verified.
Hampton said make sure to contact law enforcement when posting on social media about a potential crime. That’s because some incidents posted on social media are never reported to law enforcement.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
