More than 70 teens charged with trespassing after social media tips deputies

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — According to a New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, more than 70 teens were cited for an incident in June that all started over social media.

Today those teens appeared in court. The District Attorney’s Office said the incident happened on June 10. The Sheriff’s Office said they were able to follow the whole thing on Snapchat, before the teens were charged with 2nd degree trespassing.

Mathew Eakins was one of the teens involved. He said he got a message saying there would be a get together at River Road Park. Eakins said that get together ended up with people yelling at each other and threatening to fight. He said it is not what he and his friends expected at all.

“It was like a debate about these two kids that were arguing. And I just heard that one of my friends was going to get hurt so just knowingly the kind of guy that I am I just went down there to really back up my friend. I didn’t really go down there intentionally to fight anybody. I just came to help out,” Eakins said.

Both the Sheriff’s Office and Eakins said that there were no actual punches thrown during the incident.

Eakins said along with paying court fees, he must complete 12 hours of community service for the charge.

The Sheriff’s Office has a slightly different account of the events leading up to the fight. They tell us the plan for two teens to fight was known all along.

The next court date for those charged will be October 22.