ROCKVILLE, Md. - Two teenagers were charged with setting fires in suburban Washington after they bragged about the blazes on MySpace.com, authorities said.
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The 17-year-old schoolmates were involved in 17 fires in Montgomery County, fire officials said Friday. The teens face 22 charges, including two counts each of first-degree arson and four counts of second-degree arson.
Their names were not released because they were charged as juveniles.
Stores, vehicles, a bowling alley and two school buses were set on fire between Jan. 20 and April 16. Investigators got a tip to check out the online social networking site MySpace.com, where they found photos and descriptions.
"The significant thing is they posted on the Internet, and bragged about the fires, and that certainly allowed us to break the case," county Fire Chief Thomas W. Carr Jr. said. "They posted photos of these fires."
The teens are being held at a juvenile detention center.
"Whatever their motive is, they took the opportunity to set numerous fires," Carr said. "The neighbors were very much concerned about the terror in their neighborhood. They were freaked out."
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The 17-year-old schoolmates were involved in 17 fires in Montgomery County, fire officials said Friday. The teens face 22 charges, including two counts each of first-degree arson and four counts of second-degree arson.
Their names were not released because they were charged as juveniles.
Stores, vehicles, a bowling alley and two school buses were set on fire between Jan. 20 and April 16. Investigators got a tip to check out the online social networking site MySpace.com, where they found photos and descriptions.
"The significant thing is they posted on the Internet, and bragged about the fires, and that certainly allowed us to break the case," county Fire Chief Thomas W. Carr Jr. said. "They posted photos of these fires."
The teens are being held at a juvenile detention center.
"Whatever their motive is, they took the opportunity to set numerous fires," Carr said. "The neighbors were very much concerned about the terror in their neighborhood. They were freaked out."
One hears of people who commit a crime and get away with it, but they get caught because they go to a bar and get a bit too loose for their own good, and can't resist bragging about their crime.
That is somewhat understandable, the assumption made by people bragging in bars is that everyone's drunk and won't remember much of what happened, and of course, the sound waves don't stay around repeating themselves to everyone for years to come.
Bragging about crimes on the internet, in a fashion that has a fairly easily traced path back to one's self, in a place that has recently made the news in connection with crimes committed on the site, so you know that at least some policemen are bound to be keeping an eye on it, man, if that ain't dumb, what is?
