Youngstown woman responds to Facebook fight challenge
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
YOUNGSTOWN
Reports say a woman who was arrested with her husband for accepting an online challenge for a fight told police early Tuesday she felt she had no choice but to respond.
David Cotton, 25, and his wife Lakeisha Cotton, 22, both of Youngstown, are in the Mahoning County jail on aggravated burglary charges after they were arrested at about 12:40 a.m. Tuesday at a West Boston Avenue apartment.
Lakeisha Cotton also faces warrants for failure to appear in municipal court on driving under suspension and other traffic charges from 2011.
Police were called to the apartment for a report of unknown trouble. When they arrived they saw two women attacking each other, reports said.
Two women who were inside the apartment said the Cottons came there to fight, after one of the women challenged Lakeisha Cotton in a Facebook message to a fight.
The women said when the Cottons arrived, they pounded on the door but the door was locked and the women in the apartment would not let them inside.
Reports said the Cottons then went outside and broke a window to get in. Lakeisha began fighting the woman who challenged her, reports said.
Adam Earnheardt, who heads up the Department of Communication at Youngstown State University and studies social media, said it is rare for adults to follow through on online threats in person, although he added that it is not unheard of for teenagers to do it.
This is highly unusual, Earnheardt said.
City Prosecutor Dana Lantz said that her office has been seeing more and more cases stemming from online disputes.
Read more about the online problem and the fight in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.
