Facebook Vacation Post Leads To Break-In, Gun Theft, Oklahoma Deputies Say

In a world where everything we do goes on social media, sharing too much, or at the wrong time, can lead to trouble.

Two Cherokee County teenagers were charged this week with breaking into a home and stealing guns. Undersheriff Jason Chennault said social media helped the young men carry out the crime.

Chennault said the suspects knew the family they stole from. The family said they considered the suspects friends in both in real life and on Facebook. They said they never imagined one post would turn them into victims.

Welling, Oklahoma is a rural area in the rolling hills southeast of Tahlequah; a place where people generally feel safe.

“It's a small community, a rural community, and everyone knows each other,” Chennault said.

The undersheriff said it's the kind of place where people trust each other... but last October, that trust was broken when a family left for vacation and posted about it on Facebook.

“Don't make your plans to be away from home public because you never know who's watching,” Chennault warned.

In this case, Chennault said Jeremy Coon and Shane Walker were watching.

“They used that information to come up with a plan to make the burglary,” he said.

The undersheriff said the 19 year olds had been to the victim's home before and knew what they were after.

The two are accused of busting down the family's front door, going inside and stealing as many as ten guns. Then, Chennault said, the teenagers tried to sell the weapons - a bad idea anywhere, but especially in a tight-knit town.

“Just stupidity, easy money,” Chennault said. “A friend of the suspect contacted the victim and said he thought these boys were trying to sell his guns.”

That's when a drug task force agent set up a sting. The undersheriff said the suspects sold the undercover investigator a rifle that belonged to the victim. The teens were arrested and Chennault said they told investigators that, when they saw on social media the family was out of town, they made their move.

Chennault said the family is embarrassed and knows they made a mistake - a mistake they won’t make twice, and one Chennault hopes others will remember next time they go out of town.

“If you want to let your friends and family know about your vacation, do it when you get home,” he said.

The undersheriff said the suspects sold several other stolen weapons, and while deputies have recovered some, they haven't recovered all.

Coon and Walker are charged with second-degree burglary and knowingly concealing stolen property. The men are out on bond but face to 12 years in prison if convicted of the crimes.