Emojis taken as threat lead to probation for Peoria man

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - A Peoria man found guilty of threatening a police officer based on the emojis he included in a Facebook post has been sentenced to more than two years of probation.

Twenty-one-year-old Brian C. Tyler pleaded guilty to one count of attempted aggravated intimidation and was sentenced Thursday.

The (Peoria) Journal Star reports (http://bit.ly/2cjWFcy ) that Tyler posted the Facebook message after the officer kicked him off another person's property in May.

Tyler took a selfie while making a vulgar gesture toward the officer, who can be seen in the background. The message includes an expletive along with emojis depicting a police officer, a handgun and a bomb.

Prosecutors said the message was taken as a threat against the officer, who has since retired.

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Information from: Journal Star, http://pjstar.com