Thursday, August 20, 2009



Woman charged with harassment over suggestive post

We read:
"A Missouri woman is accused of cyberbullying for allegedly posting photos and personal information of a teenage girl on the "Casual Encounters" section of Craigslist after an Internet argument. Prosecutors said 40-year-old Elizabeth A. Thrasher posted the 17-year-old's picture, e-mail address and cell phone number on the Web site in a posting that suggested the girl was seeking a sexual encounter.

St. Charles County Lt. Craig McGuire said Tuesday that the victim is the daughter of Thrasher's ex-husband's girlfriend. The girl, who has not been named, received lewd messages and photographs from men she didn't know and contacted police.

Thrasher, of St. Peters, is the first person charged with felony harassment in St. Charles County under a law passed in Missouri after the suicide of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who was the victim of an Internet hoax in a nearby community that drew international attention.

Source

I can't see any free speech protection here. It is akin to libel, which is certainly not protected

8 comments:

Stan B said...

This one is a tough one - because she's been charged criminally with what would have been a civil case prior to the passing of this law.

I'm not sure what the penalty should be...

Brian from Virginia said...

Cyberbullying? Libel? Fraud? Offering indecent acts with a minor? There has to be some law that has been broken in this case.

Anonymous said...

"There has to be some law that has been broken in this case."

The law of gravity.

Roy Bean said...

Did you all forget about identity theft? Using the girls private info without consent, then distributing it with intent to cause harm is a crime! They should throw the book at her!

Mongo said...

"They should throw the book at her!"

Which book? A real heavy one? Maybe a book of mythology like the bible.

Anonymous said...

having someone call you thinking you are itnerested in something you arent is not particularly harmful.

Nitwit Finder said...

Well, if that's the case, why don't you list your phone # here?

Anonymous said...

because it is slightly harmful