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Patrick Mercer, 29, is in the Iredell County jail facing numerous charges from his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee -- and he can pretty much blame himself.
This week, deputies in Shelby County, Tennessee, used their Facebook page to post pictures of people with outstanding domestic violence warrants, hoping to get tips from the public on their whereabouts.
One suspect was Mercer, who was wanted for domestic assault and other charges.
Deputies said Mercer decided to respond himself by posting, “I’m in North Carolina, come get me,” on the sheriff's Facebook page. They did, and he was under arrest in less than 24 hours.
Deputies had information that Mercer was in Statesville, and they contacted authorities there, and told them about his post on social media, said Iredell County Sheriff's Maj. Andy Poteat.
“He had went on Facebook and posted that he was in North Carolina, and was taunting them, and also had made some threats against family members," Poteat said.
This kind of cross-state cooperation is of course, not unusual, but the circumstances are. Poteat said mercer's Facebook post makes his arrest more urgent.
"Because they are challenging law enforcement to 'come get me' and pretty much saying I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing," he said.
WSOC-TV spoke to two friends of Mercer at the house where he was arrested Friday morning on Greenbriar Road in Statesville.
He had been staying with the couple, who didn't want to be interviewed, but said Mercer wasn't taunting police, but wanted to turn himself in and get his charges taken care of.
Mercer has a $50,000 bond on those charges from Tennessee, which include DUI, harassment, theft, domestic assault and reckless driving.
Authorities said his wife there has had a restraining order placed on him.
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