Teenager arrested after posting distasteful meme online

Publish Date
Tuesday, 17 January 2017, 1:59PM

Woah, this is a good case highlighting that we should all think before we meme.

An American high school student and Reddit user The Shickness confessed that seven months ago he posted a meme featuring the Columbine High School shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold to Twitter:

He captioned the image: "Me when I come home from school." 

Apart from the fact it's in very bad taste, this seemingly innocent photo, resulted in being charged for "terroristic threats and some form of disturbing the peace."

According to his post on Reddit, while he made his way home that night a police car followed him and officers began questioned him when he pulled over. They searched his room for weapons to ensure he wasn't planning a shooting similar to Harris and Klebold's. When he reached school the next day, police were also guarding the school.

He was immediately suspended and had to attend an expulsion hearing.

"I became nearly hysterical, as I am a relatively prominent student and had never had any major disciplinary action brought down upon me, and all of this over a fucking meme? There was no way this was happening to me."

He was put under house arrest and not allowed to leave his home for a month, and was later sentenced to a suspended six months prison sentence. He also had to undertake 25 hours of community service.

Wow, that escalated. But it's good to know that American authorities take these sorts of things seriously!

 

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