Litigation Support

Once again, electronic evidence on social networking sites makes the headlines.

Erika Scoliere, 20, had been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI after a July 2007 accident in South Elgin, Illinois that killed a motorcyclist. As a condition of her bail, she was ordered not to drink or to be around people who were drinking.

Apparently, she wasn't listening. Photos of her drinking showed up on Facebook. One photo bore the caption: "Erika passed out in my bed. Ha, ha."

The judge was not amused. He ordered her outfitted with an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet.

This is perhaps the fourth case I've seen where a young person has been charged with vehicular homicide involving alcohol and, not long after, photos of them drinking were posted online. In the other cases, all were found guilty. Which leaves me to wonder at how little impact the taking of another's life seems to have had on the individual.

Perhaps Francis Scott Key was right when he said: First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.

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