Inmate's apparent Facebook posts outrage family of crash victim

By: Barry Leibowitz
Topics: Daily Blotter

This is reportedly the Facebook profile picture for Charles Johnson, showing the Baltimore inmate behind bars

(Credit: CBS Baltimore)

(CBS) BALTIMORE - You might want to unfriend this guy.

Police say Charles Johnson killed three teenagers when he crashed a stolen car, but the family of one of the victims says Johnson is still posting on Facebook - from behind bars.

The profile picture on Charles Johnson's Facebook page shows him in jail, according to CBS Baltimore.

The family of 18-year-old Kevin Thomas says the man who killed their son has even been talking about his case with one of the star witnesses. The Facebook page says the postings are coming from a mobile phone.

"How could he be doing that? If our kid's got killed, how can he have a life in jail, have a phone and be on Facebook?," asked Helen Dunnigan, Thomas' mother.

At one point - talking about his case - Johnson writes, 'Take a dime and the charges disappear," CBS Baltimore reports.

"So what good is a witness if he's associating with a person that he's supposed to be testifying against?" Nelson Thomas, Kevin Thomas' father, said.

Corrections officials told the station its staff "is putting its full resources into this investigation." They say if the accusations are true, Johnson will be prosecuted.

Jail officials say they have not found a cell phone on Johnson. Without that, they have no way of telling whether it was actually him posting from prison.

Last week, Johnson was found not guilty on three counts of manslaughter. He was convicted on lesser charges.

Last year, the Division of Corrections seized more than 1,300 contraband cell phones from the prison system, including 456 from the Baltimore Detention Center.

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by djseavy February 7, 2012 6:01 PM EST: It's a well-known fact that 99% of all contraband coming in to prisons gets in through staff. Sometimes they can't resist the big bucks to be made. They are, after all, only human. Most resist the temptation, but some don't and viola - in comes smokes, cell phones, drugs, etc. I'm sure some will write and deny this all night and in to tomorrow, but reality has been proven over and over.; Reply to this comment


by chenz66 February 7, 2012 1:08 PM EST: Put cell phone jammers in the prison and the problem goes away.; Reply to this comment

by Passing_trucker February 7, 2012 11:44 AM EST

Facts; inmates are strip searched, including the mouth, under the tongue, cheeks, and bend over and spread-buttocks to ascertain there's no contraband hidden anywhere. His cell was searched and he was again strip searched to include every orifice in his body. Only logical explanation remaining is a jail trustee or corrections staff took the cellphone AFTER he updated his Facebook. They need to look at what time he uploaded this to Facebook and focus on who were on duty and assigned to his area in that time frame.

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by cosmic-teapot February 7, 2012 6:18 PM EST: It is also possible that somone else outside is posting on his behalf. Maybe FB pages should be frozen while the subject is in jail.