The popular Pokemon Go app has made headlines all across America as players attempt to catch virtual creatures with their smart phones. Some of the most recent news related to the app focused on a felony charge filed by Texas police officers for what they called a terroristic threat. The defendant was arrested after allegedly threatening to take violent action against players who participate in the game.
The apparent threat came just before multiple Pokemon Go events were scheduled to take place. Police claim that the 29-year-old man posted on a Facebook page that he and his friends intended to “purge” individuals spotted playing the game at the various meet-up locations. He further indicated that people should not walk around the area and that he had some type of modified paintball gun.
Police took quick action in identifying and arresting the individual, who was charged under the hotly debated terroristic threat law. The law is often chided for being too broad and for targeting individuals who threats of violence were not at all serious. It is also not clear if authorities discovered any of the supposedly modified paintball guns when arresting the young man.
Threats of any kind are often handled quickly and seriously in current times, and many defendants find that they must face serious potential consequences. This can be a difficult period of time, which makes the upholding of a defendant’s innocence and their rights under the law even more important. No one in Texas may be judged as guilty unless a prosecutor is able to definitively prove that every aspect of a misdemeanor or felony charge is true beyond any type of reasonable doubt.
Source: texasmonthly.com, “A Man Was Arrested For Threatening To ‘Purge’ Pokemon Go Players Online“, Dan Solomon, July 18, 2016
