Earlier this month in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, deputies arrested David Fuentes and Matthew Cowan both 29 years old. Both were taken into custody, after they sent threatening messages on Facebook to an unnamed man. No words were sent by Fuentes and Cowan through Facebook, but the arrested guys sent threatening graphical emoji icons.
According to Tryon Daily Bulletin - "emoji, or emoticons, are small digital images used to express ideas and emotions through mediums such as text messaging. "
The duo sent the alleged victim emoji of a closed fist, a hand pointing to the image of an ambulance. The Images indicate Fuentes and Cowan are planning to beat up the man and send him to the hospital.
According to Yahoo, the deputies said that the Facebook incident is not the first time that Fuentes and Cowan harassed the man, the first incident happened last May 2015 when the arrested Fuentes and Cowan attempted to assault the unnamed man at his home. The deputies have a filed report about the first assault.
The threatening graphical emoji icons were the last straw that made the deputies arrest Fuentes and Cowan. Both were charged with stalking charges. If the court finds Fuentes and Cowan are guilty, both will be spending five years in prison.
Lt. Kevin Bobo of the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office stated that: "Arrests such as these are part of a growing trend nationwide as social media becomes increasingly important in law enforcement's investigations," Lt. Kevin Bobo added: "Parents need to educate themselves on the symbols their kids are using and also monitor that use."
Desiree Staggs a resident of Spartanburg said: "I use them almost every day," "and I'm very specific about what I send because it can be taken literally out of text."
The case of Fuentes and Cowan followed the case of 17-year-old Osiris Aristy during January 2015. The NYPD arrested Osiris Aristy for sending Facebook messages with multiple gun emojis pointing to a policeman emoji. Osiris Aristy was charged of making terrorist threats.
