Wrong Man Arrested Over Threats On Facebook
WYOMING, Mich. (AP) - Andrew Chandler claimed there had to be a mistake, because he didn't use Facebook to threaten his ex-girlfriend.
But there they were - Chandler's name and photo - online, leading police in western Michigan's Wyoming to arrest the Grand Rapids-area man.
"I just started crying," Chandler told WOOD-TV. "I'm like, `I know it wasn't me."'
Chandler, of Kentwood, was arrested last summer, spent a month in jail and was forced to wear an electronic tether after his release on bond.
His ex-girlfriend, Mackenzie Maas, believed it was Chandler who sent the messages.
"I was scared," Maas told the television station. "I really thought someone was going to come kill me."
Eventually, Facebook tracked down the origins of the page and forwarded the information to police. That led to the arrest of another man, Jamal Johnson.
Johnson was charged earlier this year with identity theft, aggravated stalking, interfering with electronic communications and two counts of using a computer to commit a crime.
Johnson told the television station Wednesday that he didn't create the Facebook page.
"I think the justice system did work. It took some time," Wyoming Police Department Capt. Kim Koster said.
Chandler appears to be taking it all in stride.
"It can happen to anybody, honestly," he said.
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