Facebook

Social Media Shares Likely Lead Palo Alto Groper to Turn Himself In

Social media likely played a role in a man’s decision to turn himself in to Palo Alto police after they suspected him of groping a 12-year-old girl's buttocks at Stanford Shopping Center.

Rob Richard Chapman, 47, of San Mateo was booked Tuesday into the Santa Clara County Jail on four counts of felony lewd and lascivious acts against a child.

Chapman called the dispatch line and turned himself in a little more than a day after incriminating surveillance photos were posted and shared massively across social media, including 10,000 shares on the Palo Alto Police Department's own Facebook page. Police say they that Chapman was very aware that the photo was circulating on the internet and that the photo contributed to his decision to surrender. Police also recieved tips from people who had viewed the surveillance photo on social media and encouraged police to investigate Chapman.

On Sunday afternoon, a man was caught on video groping a 12-year-old girl as she shopped with her mother at Sigona’s Farmer’s Market in the Stanford Shopping Center. The man disappeared, so police took to Twitter, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Nixle to spread the his image from the surveillance video.

Zach Perron, Public Affairs Manager for the Palo Alto Police, said that the level of social media engagement with this surveillance photo has been "remarkable."  

"The photo has recieved almost a million views so far on Facebook alone," Perron said, "which shows that the community took this seriously. This is the future of 21st century police work."

Chapman’s official booking photo, however, has not yet been released because he is being investigated for a similar incident that happened in April in Burlingame.  In this instance, police are seeking a man wanted for "annoying" two teenage girls at Safeway.
 

Contact Us