A Missouri man, likely hoping to land some quick cash, turned to Facebook Marketplace in an effort to unload some unwanted merchandise. After listing a catalytic converter for sale, however, he drew the attention of the local sheriff’s office, and for good reason.
James Kertz, a 38-year-old Missouri man with prior convictions for resisting arrest, domestic assault, possession of a controlled substance, and endangering the welfare of a child, proved without a doubt he’s one dumb criminal after he took to Facebook Marketplace to list a catalytic converter for sale without paying attention to what was clearly visible on the coffee table in the background.
Unfortunately for Kertz, he wasn’t quite in his right mind when he posted the ad, and it didn’t take long for his big mistake to catch up with him. While posting a photo of the exhaust emission device that he had for sale, Kertz neglected to pay attention to the background and unknowingly posted an image that featured a huge stash of meth and a syringe, clearly seen laying in the background. And, it didn’t take long for keen-eyed viewers to spot the issue and notify the authorities.
“Last night one of our Stone County residents posted a catalytic converter for sale on Marketplace,” the Stone County Sheriff’s Office explained in a post on their Facebook page. “Apparently he must have been under the influence because in the background of his picture he posted, he left his large bag of meth and syringe on the coffee table,” the statement from the sheriff’s office continued.
“I was alerted to this by one of our finer citizens,” Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader recalled. “I passed this on to one of our Detectives. Today we arrived at this gentleman’s house with a search warrant. You can imagine his surprise!! He still had 48 grams of meth and a pistol that he is forbidden to own! We have now provided him a new place to stay. Sorry folks, his catalytic converters are not for sale right now.”
After Kertz forgot to hide his meth and posted the photo on Facebook, a concerned citizen tipped off the sheriff’s office. Authorities conducted a search warrant at Kertz’s home, where detectives uncovered 48 grams of meth and a handgun he wasn’t legally allowed to own, the NY Post reported. Sheriff Rader said social media has become a useful investigative tool for law enforcement, according to KY 3.
“Not only did I get the original tip but had numerous people send us Facebook messages about the same post, so I appreciate our Stone County residents that are looking out for this kind of things,” said Rader.
James Kertz was taken into custody, and as the sheriff said, he was given a “new place to stay” as he was booked into the Stone County jail without bond on a charges of possessing a controlled substance, trafficking drugs, and unlawful possession of a firearm. In addition to the charges, he was hit with learning a pretty basic lesson the hard way. In the words of Sheriff Rader, “Take note, if you are selling items on social media, make sure your drugs are not in the background!”
Although that seems pretty standard, it’s not the first time an addict’s oversight landed them in hot water. In a similar story, Natasha Kirkland posted a photo of her baby bump, not realizing she had left her drug paraphernalia on clear display in the background. Sadly, the expectant mom couldn’t even claim the illegal narcotics weren’t hers since she had also left an elastic tourniquet on her upper arm, which intravenous drug users use to make their veins bulge so they can be more easily found and injected.
In other words, it was an obvious indication that Natasha had just been or was about to shoot up. Much like Kertz, however, she got more than she had bargained for, thanks to her own photo. Like Kertz, Kirkland found herself thrown behind bars within days of making her “mistake.” It’s almost refreshing to see such blatant stupidy resulting in the consequences addicts deserve. These people obviously have a problem with drug use, and it’s so bad, they “forgot” to hide it. Thankfully, they’re off of our streets, and it’s all because of their own idiocy.
