Illinois city mayor sends police to raid Twitter prankster's alleged house

A city mayor in Illinois has ordered police to raid the home of an individual who allegedly created a Twitter account and mocked him via posts. Peoria mayor Jim Ardis fake Twitter account was reported to the Peoria Police Department, which launched an investigation. The Los Angeles Times quoted Police Lieutenant Willie King Jr, who told the paper that because of the fact that the Twitter user posed as a public official, an investigation was needed because te offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

The Daily Caller said seven of the Peoria Police Department's officers raided the house, which was also located in the city, and took five people in for questioning. The police officers reportedly confiscated several electronic devices.

27 year-old Michelle Pratt, who is one of the residents of the house, said to the Peoria Journal Star, "They just asked me about the Twitter account, if I knew anything about it. They brought me in like I was a criminal. They said there had been an Internet crime that occurred at this residence."

What could have gotten Ardis upset about the Twitter account's posts was that it portrayed him like a Rob Ford-style party boy mayor. The tweets coming from the fake Ardis Twitter account made references to drug and sex and also shared inappropriate jokes, The Daily Caller added. A total of 50 tweets was sent by the account in question and has around 50 followers prior to someone labeling it as a satire account and took the account down.

King told the LA Times that the police department has yet to be identified. He also fell short on telling whether they will be conducting additional searches. He said, "We're just still in investigation mode and don't have a suspect in custody. We have a couple of forensic guys that do this type of crime investigation. If they come up with things, we look into them."

Tags

Peoria Police Department, Peoria city mayor Jim Ardis, Twitter, Twitter satire accounts

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