Teen Learns Pitfalls of Social Media After Posting About Hit-and-Run Accident

There are both positives and negatives about social networking. But one teen learned his lesson the hard way when he decided that it was a good idea to post about his hit-and-run drunk driving accident. The Oregon teen is now facing prison time after police used his Facebook post to link him to the drunk driving accident and find and arrest him at his home.

Jacob Cox-Brown, 18, posted "Drivin drunk … classsic 😉 but to whoever's vehicle i hit i am sorry. :P" after being involved in a early morning hit-and-run accident. Upon reading his post, two of Cox-Brown's Facebook friends called the Astoria Police Department and reported him. It became vital information after police were called to a 1 am drunk driving crash, which left two vehicle damaged. Police collected pieces of the damaged cars and used the information gleaned from Cox-Brown's Facebook post to find him at his home. Cox was charged with two counts of failing to perform the duties of a driver. Nearly nine hours had passed since the accident and Cox-Brown was not in the car at the time of the arrest, so police were unable to also tag him with drunk driving charges.

Cox-Brown apparently has a history of engaging in reckless and drunken behavior with tell-tale signs on his Facebook page. Among his "favorites" are Mommy Needs a Beer and "smoking blunts". His story shows that social media can be both a blessing and a curse, but that it is never "cool" to drink and drive.