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Parachute, Colo. —In what could be the first case of its kind in Garfield County, sheriff’s deputies issued a summons to a 19-year-old Parachute-area man for allegedly harassing a juvenile female on the Internet.
Such “cyber bullying” crimes were the subject of a public presentation by Rifle police on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
In the sheriff’s department case, Joshua David Smith was summonsed and released on Jan. 20 for harassment with the use of a communication device or computer, a misdemeanor. Smith allegedly left a “very ugly, disturbing” message on the victim’s page of a social networking site, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Tanny McGinnis.
“It’s not like they had a relationship or had chatted,” she said.
McGinnis would not release many details due to the victim’s age.
As Rifle police officer Kirk Wilson wrote in his “Cop’s Beat” column in the Jan. 22 Citizen Telegram, there are two types of cyber bullying: A “direct attack,” where the cyberbully directly contacts the victim to threaten or harass them, and an “attack by proxy,” where the cyberbully gets others to help harass and threaten the victim.
Wilson wrote that the second method is the most dangerous, as a group of juveniles will gang up on an individual victim, which often causes kids to skip school, not participate in social activities or go out in public. In extreme cases, it has lead to suicide.
McGinnis said part of the reason cyber-related crimes have increased is because youngsters believe they are safe if they’re on the Internet.
“Even if you’re not on one of those sites, you can be a victim,” she said.
McGinnis said she came across a photo of herself in a bathing suit that had been taken at a lake, complete with her name.
“I worried about that,” she said. “It just goes to show you that you’re not completely safe.”
McGinnis said when people post messages on social network sites, “everyone that’s on the site can read them, not just the people you’ve invited.”
“It’s almost like they think they’re getting to know someone and it develops into maybe some type of cyber-stalking case,” she said. “There’s a lot more risks to those sites than people think.”
McGinnis said the best thing parents can do to protect their children from cyber bullying is to know where they go on the Internet.
“People think that because we live in a small, rural Garfield County community, where the crime rate is low, this won’t happen,” McGinnis said. “But the minute you plug that jack into the wall, you open yourself up to everyone, even the worst people in the world. It’s as if you’ve unlocked a door.”
Such “cyber bullying” crimes were the subject of a public presentation by Rifle police on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
In the sheriff’s department case, Joshua David Smith was summonsed and released on Jan. 20 for harassment with the use of a communication device or computer, a misdemeanor. Smith allegedly left a “very ugly, disturbing” message on the victim’s page of a social networking site, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Tanny McGinnis.
“It’s not like they had a relationship or had chatted,” she said.
McGinnis would not release many details due to the victim’s age.
As Rifle police officer Kirk Wilson wrote in his “Cop’s Beat” column in the Jan. 22 Citizen Telegram, there are two types of cyber bullying: A “direct attack,” where the cyberbully directly contacts the victim to threaten or harass them, and an “attack by proxy,” where the cyberbully gets others to help harass and threaten the victim.
Wilson wrote that the second method is the most dangerous, as a group of juveniles will gang up on an individual victim, which often causes kids to skip school, not participate in social activities or go out in public. In extreme cases, it has lead to suicide.
McGinnis said part of the reason cyber-related crimes have increased is because youngsters believe they are safe if they’re on the Internet.
“Even if you’re not on one of those sites, you can be a victim,” she said.
McGinnis said she came across a photo of herself in a bathing suit that had been taken at a lake, complete with her name.
“I worried about that,” she said. “It just goes to show you that you’re not completely safe.”
McGinnis said when people post messages on social network sites, “everyone that’s on the site can read them, not just the people you’ve invited.”
“It’s almost like they think they’re getting to know someone and it develops into maybe some type of cyber-stalking case,” she said. “There’s a lot more risks to those sites than people think.”
McGinnis said the best thing parents can do to protect their children from cyber bullying is to know where they go on the Internet.
“People think that because we live in a small, rural Garfield County community, where the crime rate is low, this won’t happen,” McGinnis said. “But the minute you plug that jack into the wall, you open yourself up to everyone, even the worst people in the world. It’s as if you’ve unlocked a door.”
