Maryville man charged with theft, vandalism after Facebook fight
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A Maryville man was arrested after a Facebook argument turned into an act of vandalism, according to a police report.
Around 3:09 p.m., Jan. 31, Blount County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call for property damage.
According to the report, when officers arrived, they spoke with a 43-year-old Maryville man who told deputies that someone had ripped a Ring doorbell off his house while he was away.
He reportedly told deputies that he couldn’t think of anyone who would want to vandalize his house, but recalled a recent Facebook argument he had been engaged in with a woman and a man, later identified as Michael A. Meyer, 45, Maryville.
The man told officers he had initially been in an argument with the woman, and Meyer began threatening the man. Officers reported seeing messages from Meyer that read, “You called my wife a dog on a leash, and I will find you for that.”
Officers said that Meyer also had a picture of the man’s mail in his mailbox.
About an hour later, deputies were called out to Periwinkle Lane about a suspicious vehicle driving around the neighborhood. According to the report, a witness told officers that he spoke with the driver, who said he was looking for the Maryville man because the man had disrespected the woman on Facebook.
The witness described the driver and passenger as a male with “brown/red hair and missing teeth,” and a woman who “had a spray tan.”
Deputies wrote, “It should be noted that the description provided by (redacted) for the individuals and the truck had striking similarities and were a very close match.”
According to the report, several hours later, deputies made contact with Meyer, who deputies say admitted to ripping the doorbell off the house and throwing it in a ditch due to the way that the Maryville man spoke to the woman on Facebook.
Meyer was arrested and charged with vandalism and theft.
