Going before the judge? Keep photos off Facebook.

According to CNN 20 year old Josh Lipton from Rhode Island got into a crash with Jade Combies in October of 2006 that left her hospitalized for weeks. Josh was charged with drunk driving because he started the three car collision that lead to her hospitalization. Two weeks after the crash Josh went to a Halloween party dressed in a jail bird costume.



Of course the photos eventually ended up on Facebook. Another victim of the crash came across the photos and gave them to the prosecutor in the case. Jay Sullivan, the prosecutor assembled the photos into a PowerPoint presentation.

"One image shows a smiling Lipton at the Halloween party, clutching cans of the energy drink Red Bull with his arm draped around a young woman in a sorority T-shirt. Above it, Sullivan rhetorically wrote, 'Remorseful?'

Superior Court Judge Daniel Procaccini said the prosecutor's slide show influenced his decision to sentence Lipton.

'I did feel that gave me some indication of how that young man was feeling a short time after a near-fatal accident, that he thought it was appropriate to joke and mock about the possibility of going to prison,' the judge said."

Source: CNN

CNN states that this is not the first time photos have helped defendants or prosecutors prove their case. Physical evidence like photos are easily accessible to those who are in your network on social networking sites so you should think about what is on the site and delete what you think may bring problems. Even if they are not legal problems.

A friend of mine added her mom to her Facebook network. When her mom looked through her pictures she commented that the photos made my friend look like a party animal and a drunk. Don't put up any photos you think may cause problems in the future. Post photos of you doing positive things, not only the party pictures. You may regret it in the future.