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Remarkably, the Canadian man responded to the post, stating he would be turning himself in within a few days. Many viewers who followed the activity on Facebook were skeptical the Rodney who responded to the RNC's post was the same Rodney who was wanted on charges of assault, breach of probation, breach of recognizance, and failure to appear in court; but he cleared up lingering doubts by posting an affirmation in the comments section:
But no one had to take Rodney's word for it. The RNC confirmed with another Facebook post Constantine had turned himself in:
Media Relations officer Steve Curnew said this isn't the first time a social media post has led to an arrest:
[Curnew] also pointed out that Constantine might not have known he was even wanted. "The person sometimes isn't aware they have outstanding warrants. [He] may have just become aware that police are looking for him and he has nothing to hide."
"We've had it happen on one or two occasions that a person has contacted us. When you send it out on social media, word comes around quick."
The story depicted above may sound like a strange tale of social media justice, but this is actually becoming a more common tactic as several police stations have initiated programs such as #WarrantWednesday. Typically, such a program involves asking the community to send in information about wanted criminals, but every once in a while a man like Rodney Constantine does all the work himself.
Last updated: 29 January 2015