Beaches Woman Wants Her Mug Off 'Smoking Gun'

TrainTrac · Feb 24, 2006

I got a chuckle out of this, and thought I'd share it:

Beaches Woman Wants Her Mug Off 'Smoking Gun'

POSTED: 9:22 pm EST February 23, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Ponte Vedra Beach woman on probation on drug charges is demanding that a mug shot of her be removed from the popular commercial Web site, TheSmokingGun.com.

The Web site created by Court TV features documents, many from government and law enforcement sources, about celebrities and other people of interest.

Casey Hicks' photograph was lifted from the Florida Department of Corrections Web site and is featured with about 20 other women in a section of TheSmokingGun.com titled "Foxy Felons."

"One day we decided to put together a group of felons who happen to be nice-looking," said Web editor William Bastone.

Hicks was convicted on drug charges in New York in 2001. She has since relocated to Florida.

Hicks' lawyer sent a letter saying that her photo being listed under the heading "Foxy Felons" "invades her privacy ... and holds her up to public ridicule, has caused her to become fearful for her safety ... and has invited members of the public to use her picture for their own private sexual gratification."

According to the Florida Department of Corrections Web site, Casey Hicks was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in New York in 2001. She will be released from probation in the next few weeks.

The fact that Hicks' mug shot was lifted from the state's online database of prisoners and those on probation is central to TheSmokingGun's argument -- it's in the public domain.

"It's not often we have people who have been convicted of a crime -- in her case took a plea -- and have been photographed, booking photo taken, under supervised release, that they would think that the distribution of their police photo shouldn't be done," Bastone said. "That's a new one for us."

Bastone told Channel 4's Dan Leveton that Court TV's attorneys say the charges have no merit.

TheSmokingGun.com not only kept Hicks' photo online, it also posted the letter from the attorney demanding its removal.

Hicks' probation ends in about one month, and her picture will likely be taken off Florida's DOC Web site. Bastone wouldn't say whether it will remain on TheSmokingGun.com.

Copyright 2006 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Dale Carter · Feb 24, 2006

Can't offend the poor criminal, now can we?

She is kind of cute though

LaRue Medlin · Feb 24, 2006

crimals have MORE rights than we do!

Jake Levin · Feb 24, 2006

OMG! She looks like my ex!

Dale Carter · Feb 24, 2006

It seems that The Smoking Gun adn I have differetn definitions of hot! One or two are pretty good looking, but we are talking about inmates HAHAHAHA

Did you see the one with the last name "Bedgood". How much crap does she catch over that???

Kevin Palmer · Feb 24, 2006

Dale, I was thinking the same thing...

Robert Stanton · Feb 24, 2006

I have a question, and it's not asked with any particular policital bent, but merely because I'm not sure: Why are the state's prisoner's mugshots available online in a public venue? Granted, many court records remain unsealed, so the records are publicly available, but why their mugshots?

Roy Smith · Feb 24, 2006

hey *6 looks like she has been chasing parked cars!!!----and caught one!!:lol:

Nelson Atwell · Feb 24, 2006

Most of them aren't all that foxy.

Gavin Allan · Feb 24, 2006

Maybe not foxy, but certainly

Chet 02 · Feb 25, 2006

Is it just me or do the sentences being served seem alittle mismatched. Possession of controlled substance / 4years 8 month probation, but Grand theft / 1year probation.