A woman in Woodford County, Kentucky is in jail for contempt of court. Her offense? Posting on Facebook about a serious DUI car crash that the court says she caused.

Police say that the woman, Paula Asher, crashed into a car with four teenagers in it and then left the scene. After the crash, Asher posted the following on her Facebook page: “my dumb (expletive) got a dui and I hit a car…lol.” Some parents of the teenagers in the other car told the court about what Asher had posted, and Woodford District Judge Mary Jane Phelps warned Asher to shut down her Facebook account. She didn’t, and she was charged with contempt of court. She spent two days in jail. “I had to go put my time in,” Asher said. “I did and they said I’m not allowed to have Facebook.”

Asher claims she’s learned her lesson. “I apologize to everybody,” she said. “I apologize to the judge. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody.” She better be on her best behavior on September 27, when she will face the same judge on all of the case’s charges.

What do you think of the court’s ability to punish Facebook users for the content they post online? What should be considered off-limits for the law?

Image: benstein

Recommended Resources

BitDefender Safego is a Facebook application you can install that will scan your News Feed and help keep you safe from scams on Facebook.

PRIVATE WiFi® is a Personal VPN that encrypts everything you send and receive. Don’t access Facebook from a public WiFi hotspot without it.

Do Not Track + is a FREE browser plugin created by Abine. This easy to install plugin keeps websites from tracking you. If you value your online privacy, then you should definitely take advantage of this free product.

Action Alert | Free Parental Control offers a 100% free Internet safety solution designed for parents. There is also a Maximum Protection option for parents that need a more advanced set of tools.