Criminality and social media have rarely had a harmonious relationship. There are several obvious reasons, but the most important is this: Cops have Facebook. And Twitter. And -- it has surely dawned upon 19-year-old Dupree Johnson -- Instagram.
Dupree Johnson, who's evinced an iron dedication to crime, racking up five felonies despite his youth, got down and dirty with Instagram last week, depositing some holy-mother-of-God-are-you-kidding-me images.
A Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy came across the fracas; noted that Dupree had a rap sheet including grand theft, burglary, and felony possession of a firearm; and looked more closely at the pictures.
Hmmmm? said the deputy. Palm Beach Court quickly dispatched a search warrant for Johnson's Lake Worth house. There, deputies discovered a Glock underneath his bedspread -- where every two-bit criminal knows is the proper location for one's Glocks -- and a loaded TEC-9 9mm that had been stolen from a Tennessee gun shop.
But that's not all. Authorities also unearthed $250,000 worth of stolen jewelry, electronics, and firearms. They've accused Dupree of leading a cadre of thieves through a string of 30 to 40 burglaries of Palm Beach senior centers.
Johnson has now been charged with 142 counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammo.
Still, if the crime proves anything, it's that even hardened crooks have a soft spot for filters.
If you know more, send your story tip to the author, Terrence McCoy.
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