Hoax Alert: Man NOT Arrested for Trying to Turn Himself in for Reward Money

Fact Check

  • by: Alan Duke

It's another example of a website publishing a fake story that is subtly racist, hoping social media surfers will share it with their friends. Lead Stories' Trendolizer detected this post as trending on December 28, 2015. We suggest you share our hoax alert -- and not the original fake.

Hoax Arrested For Reward.jpg

The post on Celebtricity.com claims that a 65-year-old Macon, Georgia, fugitive turned himself into police "in an attempt to collect a $500 reward check." Ronald Jackson was purportedly "wanted after being connected with a string of home invasions across Bibb County."

The fake story is topped with a real mugshot of a man arrested for trespassing featured on the Smoking Gun website in a gallery of odd mugshots on April 4, 2014.

"I wasn't even thinking they was gone lock me up," the fake Mr. Jackson is quoted saying. "I thought maybe I turn myself in, they set me lose and cut me a check. Everybody could've won had it gone like I planned. I only did it because I am broke and I have to buy my mom a Christmas gift."

If you read the disclaimer on Celebtricity.com (but who bothers with that?) you'll see the publisher acknowledges the site is satire.


  Alan Duke

Editor-in-Chief Alan Duke co-founded Lead Stories after ending a 26-year career with CNN, where he mainly covered entertainment, current affairs and politics. Duke closely covered domestic terrorism cases for CNN, including the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, the UNABOMBER and search for Southeast bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. Duke also co-hosted a daily podcast with former HLN host Nancy Grace, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" and hosted the podcast series "Stan Lee's World: His Real Life Battle with Heroes & Villains." You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN.

Read more about or contact Alan Duke

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