Phoenix, AZ – Facebook newbie, Travis Schelling, was arrested for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. The crime was the result of a Facebook function misunderstanding.
The not so social networking savvy Schelling, 35, is accused of kidnapping and assault, after he held his girlfriend hostage for nearly 12 straight hours on Valentine’s Day. Why? Because of confusion over her Facebook feed, reports KPHO.
The misunderstanding began when Schelling suspected his girlfriend of being too social with other men on her social media account. The Facebook newbie mistook the woman’s news feed updates for direct personal messages.
Every time he read an assumed direct message appearing on the news feed, Schelling would slap her and at times shook her violently by the hair, ripping it from the scalp. According to the police report and the victim, the abuse went on for several hours, from 11 p.m. until about noon the following day.
Authorities documented bruising along the woman’s face, arms, and legs, and she had a swollen lip.
It was only after the victim convinced her assailant that she would not contact authorities that Schelling released her and left his girlfriend’s apartment. During the ordeal, Schelling threatened he would kill both the woman and her relatives and friends if she ever reported the kidnapping and assault, reports AZCentral.
The Facebook newbie was later arrested and booked into a Maricopa County jail on charges of kidnapping, sexual abuse, aggravated assault, threatening and intimidation.
[Photo Credit: Travis Schelling, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office]
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