AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JULY 2017 33 M ake no mistake about it – there have been in- stances where some punk teenager with a grudge against cops messes with an officer’s food order or writes something deroga- tory on a receipt. The truth is that these stories are very popular on social media because they generally confirm people’s beliefs and bias- es. For instance, there’s still a fake news story up about a North Carolina BBQ joint where em- ployees sang NWA’s “F- the police,” as officers tried to enjoy their meal break. It turned out not to be true but the fact that the story is so popular on social media is a useful guide to the way news is sold these days. In another fake news story that went viral, a disturbing tale was told about an al- leged rape of a young girl at Maryland’s Rockville High by two undocumented teen- age immigrants. The White House press secretary mentioned the case to bolster support for the current immigration crackdown.But prosecutors dropped all the charges against the teens. Montgomery County State’s Attorney John Mc- Carthy announced he was dropping charges against the two undocumented teenag- ers that were accused of raping their classmate in March. “We have concluded that the facts in this case do not support the original charges filed in this matter,” McCar- thy said. Sean Spicer, speaking about the case, said, “It’s horrendous and horrible and disgusting what this young woman in Rockville went through. This young woman in particular fought to come to this country legally because of the free- doms and the treasures of this nation. And to think that Isn’t it remarkable? In the old days the only real consum- ers of fake news were largely housewives at the checkout counter obsessed over “Brangelina.” But thanks to so-called social media and a wide array of other factors, we’re all fake news consumers. Whether it’s “Pizzagate,” “Russians hacked the election!” or “Operation Jade Helm,” the money guys have figured out that people like fake news more than actual information. this kind of tragedy would occur to someone who’s personally endured that kind of struggle to come to this nation and then face this is reprehensible.” Spicer continued, “I think part of the reason that the President has made illegal immigration and crackdown such a big deal is because of tragedies like this.” Needless to say, many local officials were on the receiv- ing end of death threats and online harassment that has become such a common fea- ture of American politics today. The reason that prosecutors dropped charges against 17-year- old Jose Montano and 18-year-old Henry Sanchez Milian, was that the evidence didn’t support the girl’s accusations that they forced her into a school bathroom and raped her. Attorney Andrew Jezic, who represents Sanchez, said that video evidence proves the encounter was consensual. There were also text mes- sages and sexually explicit photos allegedly made and sent by the girl to Montano where she allegedly agreed to the sexual encounter. In other words no prose- cutor in his or her right mind would take this thing any- where near a courtroom. But because of the ex- plicit nature of the photos and texts, prosecutors were able to charge Sanchez with possession of child pornog- raphy. But the case is a valuable lesson in why it’s a good idea to check, double check and triple check everything in your news feed. Extreme vetting: “news” Just because a story sounds right or feels good doesn’t make it true Bad guys go to tech school Bad guys go to tech school Motorcycle Gang Busted for Hacking and Stealing Over 150 Jeep Wranglers (801) 475-6000 www.symbolarts.com customerservice@symbolarts.com Contact us today to get started on your custom products BADGES PATCHES MEDALS THE LEADER IN PUBLIC SAFETY INSIGNIA FOR OVER 30 YEARS COINS APPAREL PINS