Facebook post lands teen in jail

This is the story of 18-year-old Jacob Cox-Brown, an Oregon teenager who was arrested after a confession-like Facebook post in which he admitted to being involved in a hit-and-run while drunk driving, The Daily Astorian reported.

“Drivin drunk ... classsic ;) but to whoever's vehicle i hit i am sorry. :P,” Brown posted on the social networking site.

The story developed as the post went viral and reached many of Brown's friends and friends of friends (as it often happens on Facebook), including Astoria's Police Officer Nicole Riley. Coincidentally, Riley had responded to the concerning hit-and-run earlier that evening.

After linking the Facebook post with pieces of the car left at the crime scene, Riley showed up at the teenager's house the next day and arrested him. Brown was charged with two counts of failing to perform the duties of a driver.

“Astoria Police have an active social media presence,” a press release from the Police Department read Wednesday. “It was a private Facebook message to one of our officers that got this case moving, though. When you post ... on Facebook, you have to figure that it is not going to stay private long.”