A Kentucky woman’s cavalier ‘LOL” comment on Facebook about an alleged drunk driving accident that police believe she caused led a judge to send her to jail for two days and force her off the social networking site.
Paula Asher slammed into a car carrying four teenagers in Woodford County, Ky., in July and left the scene, police allege. Parents of the teens were upset to see a seemingly flip comment about the incident on Facebook after the fact and told the court about it, police told WLEX.
Asher received four charges stemming from the incident, including leaving the scene of accident, driving under influence of alcohol, and possession of a controlled substance, Tricia Kittinger with Woodford County Circuit Court told ABC News.
Woodford District Judge Mary Jane Phelps wasn’t pleased either when she learned that Asher had written, “My dumb bass got a DUI and I hit a car…LOL” on Facebook, according to Louisville NBC affiliate WAVE. “LOL” is an abbreviation for “laughing out loud.”
When Asher initially appeared in court after the July 20 accident, the judge told her to delete her Facebook account, Kittinger said. Asher did not take it seriously, and was charged with contempt of court when the judge learned her Facebook page was still active.
“Apparently it was a condition, and they said she did not get it off, and so they charged her with contempt of court,” Kittinger told ABC News.
On August 28, Judge Phelps immediately placed Asher in county jail for 48 hours.
When she returned to court on September 10, she told the court that she has now shut down her Facebook page.
“The defendant is now working, she is not driving, and agreed she is no longer on Facebook,” Kittinger said.
Asher told WAVE that she was not trying to make light of the accident on Facebook, and she’s surprised a brief comment would land her behind bars.
“I didn’t think LOL would put me in jail,” she said.
Asher will be back in court on September 24, Kittinger told ABC News. She has since said that she’s sorry for what she did to all parties involved.
“I apologize to everybody,” she said. “I apologize to the judge. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody.”
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‘LOL’ Facebook Post After DUI Accident Lands Woman in Jail
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1 comment:
This sentence is overreaching in at least two important ways. First, it's inconceivable how having a Facebook page, or not having a Facebook page, has anything whatsoever to do with the crime committed, or how it is in any way relevant as a legitimate punishment, or in any way serves the needs of the state. Secondly, and more importantly, her attitude about the accident, even if it was properly reflected by her post, has nothing to do with the crime.
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