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Thursday, April 09, 2009

Another Facebook Stalker Arrested

ANOTHER REASON TO NOT USE SOCIAL NETWORKING! OR MAKE YOUR PROFILES PRIVATE AND LIMITED TO PEOPLE YOU ACTUALLY KNOW ONLY!

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Cyberstalkers sometimes hide behind computer monitors or anonymous usernames.


A Georgia (U.S.) man, who local police say obtained personal information on a Cleveland County woman through a social networking Web site, reportedly hid from police Sunday under insulation at an abandoned home.


Laurence Odell Barnett, of Marietta, Ga., recently made the trip to North Carolina to see a woman in her late 30s, according to Cleveland County Sheriff's Capt. Alan Norman.
But feelings weren't mutual between the two.

A Cleveland County Sheriff's Office K-9 apprehended Barnett, 40, after he sought concealment from authorities in an attic of a vacant Oak Grove Road home.

"Mr. Barnett had viewed a Facebook account of a female that lived here in Cleveland County and was able to retrieve enough information through the Internet on the victim to come here," Norman said. "He showed up in the county at a nearby location where she was at."

Law enforcement was immediately contacted, Norman said, but Barnett fled the scene.
Deputy Doug Bryson was the first to arrive at the abandoned home Barnett was believed to be hiding in. Given the situation, he called for backup.

Norman said Deputy Bryan Ledford arrived shortly after with his K-9 partner, Zane.
The dog reportedly found Barnett stashed away in the attic, hidden underneath insulation.

Zane made the apprehension, Norman said, which might have saved an officer from being injured in a confrontation.

Barnett was arrested and charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering, resist, delay or obstructing an officer and cyberstalking. He was denied bond.


Norman said the incident goes to show that online predators are in fact out there and a little caution can go a long way.

"I would urge individuals not to list any information that might give an individual an area where they may live," Norman said. "In today's times, it's fairly easy to narrow down where a person does reside with the tools and technology available to people such as Mr. Barnett."

SOURCE

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