“Hot” mugshot of convicted felon gets thousands of Facebook likes, comments

Convicted felon Jeremy Meeks
Convicted felon Jeremy Meeks

I don’t get it:

A mug shot of a Northern California man arrested on felony weapons charges has gone viral on social media, attracting more than 33,000 “likes” and drawing comments praising his high cheekbones, chiseled face and striking blue eyes.

Jeremy Meeks, 30, a felon, was arrested Wednesday on five weapons charges and one gang charge, according to Officer Joseph Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department.

No previous arrest photo has garnered so much positive attention since the department set up the Facebook page in March 2012, Silva told The Associated Press.

“I have not seen that many likes for a photo before,” he said.

By late Thursday, Meeks’ arrest photo had garnered more than 33,000 “likes,” and 10,400 comments, and had been shared more than 3,300 times.

“Wow. That is one good looking mug shot!” one person wrote.

“Momma, I’m in love with a criminal,” another joked.

Some online commentators even said Meeks looked like he belonged in an Abercrombie & Fitch ad or on the show “America’s Next Top Model.”

Still others were disapproving, such as one observer who said, “He may be a tad bit cute, but with six felonies, he ain’t that cute.”

Gee, ya think? Β The Washington Post’s “Morning Mix” blog reports on the backlash that has come from news reports of all the gushing:

[Stockton Police Officer Joseph] SilvaΒ saidΒ Meeks, whoΒ isΒ being held on a $900,000 bond, is β€œone of the most violent criminals in the Stockton area,” but declinedΒ to speakΒ further about his allegedΒ crimes.

Still,Β manyΒ seem more intrigued by his mug shot than his rap sheet.

MeeksΒ was bookedΒ on Wednesday afternoon into the San Joaquin County Jail β€” and that’s when the ogling started. When police posted the mug shot of the 6-foot-1, 170-pound, baby blue-eyed alleged felonΒ on aΒ Facebook page, boy-watchers went nuts. As of Friday morning, hisΒ mug shotΒ had nearly 40,000 likes, 4,500 shares and 13,000 comments. And media all over were reporting about it, using headlines such as β€œLadies love this felon’s mugshot” and writing that MeeksΒ is β€œarguably the most wanted felon in Northern California … wanted by the ladies, that is.”

[…]

But there were plenty of people who found it-and him-not so hot, especially in light of the memorial on the same page to fallen officerΒ Scott Hewell. Hewell died June 11 of injuries suffered in a crash while he was on his way to aid another officer who had stopped a man involved in an earlier shooting.

By early Friday morning, there was a backlash.

β€œI find it incredibly sad that an alleged felon on this page gets so much more attention on Facebook than a fallen officer, ” one man wrote on the police department’s Facebook page.

β€œIt’s pretty sad that a criminal has overshadowed the death of a police officer while on duty!” wrote a woman.”

Good to see a little bit of sanity prevail.

Officer Hewell’s memorial service was yesterday. Β The Stockton PD posted pictures from it here. My prayers go out to his family at this difficult time.

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