Man uses Facebook to taunt NC cops looking for him. ‘Y’all think I can get a reward?’

Police in Asheville, North Carolina, turned to the public Tuesday for help finding a man accused of violating coronavirus emergency restrictions by repeatedly leasing out a short-term rental property.

But while the search was on, an account apparently belonging to the wanted man, 34-year-old Shawn Thomas Johnson, began commenting on the Asheville Police Department’s Facebook post, starting with what seemed to be an impromptu legal defense to the accusations leveled against him.

“This is of course assuming anything law enforcement is alleging is true,” the comment said in conclusion

Johnson was described by police as standing 6 feet tall and weighing 286 pounds, but Johnson commented that he’s actually 235 pounds. “I’ve lost a bunch of weight,” he said.

“Y’all think I can get a reward?” Johnson commented on the APD post.

Not long after the police announced they were looking for Johnson, the profile picture on Johnson’s account changed to a wanted poster.

After several hours, Johnson finally turned himself in, according to police.

In 2010, Johnson was found guilty of counterfeiting, the Citizen Times reported, and in 2019 his real estate license was revoked because he had allegedly been keeping for himself thousands of dollars belonging to property owners whose rentals he managed.

Hundreds of comments were made on the department’s post, ranging from amused to angry.

“You can lose the key by ‘accident.’ No one will be upset. I promise,” someone commented.

Some users claimed to know Johnson personally, referring to past run-ins with him, while many others just seemed to know of him.

“By the looks of things it may be difficult to find an impartial jury,” one commenter wrote.

Police wouldn’t say the exact location of the rental property Johnson allegedly leased but told the Citizen Times, “The renters were requested to leave immediately and they complied with no further incident.”