OKEECHOBEE — An Okeechobee woman was upset last week when a friend sent her a screenshot of her own arrest.
Mariah Nicole Principe got a text message from a friend asking her what in the world was going on. She said she uses an app called Mobile Patrol to keep up to date on the happenings in her area. She said she was shocked to see Principe’s name come up on the app over the weekend.
Mobile Patrol did not give any details other than Principe’s name, age, height and gender. There was no mention of the charges, but it stated that she was arrested on August 31 at 11:28 p.m. and released on the same night at 11:39 p.m.
In addition to Mobile Patrol, Principe’s information was also listed on VINElink, an online portal where the public can search a database for the custody status of offenders in any state.
Principe is a 30-year-old mother who values her reputation. “I don’t want people to see that and think it’s true,” she said. She added that she has never been in trouble in her life, and it really bothered her to see that on the apps.
When Principe went to the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office to report this, she was told they had no record of the arrest and thought it might be a scam of some sort.
Mobile Patrol gets its information from reporting law enforcement agencies but also from people in the community.
