Skip to main content

Teen brags on Facebook about drunken hit-and-run, gets arrested

jacob cox-brown mug shot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Detailed on Seattle’s local ABC affiliate Komo News, 18-year-old Jacob Cox-Brown though it would be a brilliant idea to update his Facebook status to reflect the details of his drive home on New Year’s Eve. After an alleged night of drinking alcohol, the teenager wrote “Drivin drunk … classsic ;) but to whoever’s vehicle i hit i am sorry. :P” as the new status update on his Facebook account. One of Cox-Brown’s 650+ friends immediately contacted the local Astoria police department through a police officer’s Facebook account and a second friend contacted the local police station. 

jacob cox-brown Facebook confessionAccording to Deputy Chief Brad Johnston, police officers were already investigating a hit-and-run accident in which two cars were hit when Cox-Brown’s friends contacted the police. A white-colored Scion involved in the accident was severely sideswiped and pieces of the car that caused the damage were left at the scene. After being alerted about the status update, police officers visited the home of Cox-Brown and found a vehicle with damage matching the sideswiped vehicle. In addition, police were able to match up pieces from the crash to the vehicle found at Cox-Brown’s home. 

Cox-Brown was immediately arrested and charged with two counts of failing to perform the duties of a driver. Police were not able to charge Cox-Brown with drunk driving since he was interviewed several hours after the incident occurred. According to police, the Facebook post isn’t enough evidence of his intoxication while driving. Regarding Cox-Brown’s interview, Johnston stated “He denied it initially, and it wasn’t until he was confronted with overwhelming evidence that he finally admitted to it.”

In a press release from the Astoria Police on Wednesday, a department representative stated “Astoria Police have an active social media presence. 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.”

Mike Flacy
By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…
Mercedes to trial humanoid robots for ‘low-skill, repetitive, demanding’ jobs
Apptronik's Apollo robot at work in an auto plant.

Humanoid robots have been coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some major companies are starting to take note.

Mercedes-Benz, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Texas-based robotics specialist Apptronik to collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robots that the auto giant could deploy. The deal will involve a trial that will see Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robot work alongside Mercedes' human workers on the factory floor.

Read more
Hyundai Ioniq 9: price, release date, range, and more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more
Audi Q6 e-tron ushers in the automaker’s next EV phase
2025 Audi Q6 e-tron front three quarter view.

Audi doesn’t get enough credit for getting luxury car buyers comfortable with EVs. While Tesla took care of the image-conscious types, the German brand unveiled its e-tron electric SUV in 2018 with the tagline “electric has gone Audi” in hopes of getting loyal customers excited about (or, at least, acclimated to) electric cars by pitching the e-tron as an Audi first and an EV second.

The e-tron wasn’t a one-off, either. It’s since evolved into the Q8 e-tron and has been joined by the sporty e-tron GT and entry-level Q4 e-tron. So, while some car brands are only just introducing their first electric models, Audi is ready for round two.

Read more