Sheriff says malicious website extorts offenders

Posted: Feb 3, 2012 3:44 PM by David Ortiviz
Updated: Feb 3, 2012 4:01 PM

How much is your reputation worth to you? Well a website is archiving mug shots from Pueblo and charging offenders to have their photos removed. Some are calling it blackmail. Now the Pueblo County Sheriff is taking a stand against it.

The website is PuebloMugShots.com. If you broke the law in Pueblo your photo may be on the website forever, for anyone to see. If you want your mug shot removed you have to pay the website $100.

"Basically they're extorting these people," said Sheriff Kirk Taylor, Pueblo County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Taylor is taking a stand against the malicious website by changing a policy that's been in place since 2008. PuebloMugShots was getting the photos off the sheriff's website, but now the sheriff's office doesn't publish photos of inmates who are booked into jail.

"Once we determined that this was being exploited for monetary gain by a private company, we had to take a second look at it," said Sheriff Taylor.

Some might say these offenders don't need any favors, but the photos aren't just of accused killers and rapists--some never appeared in court or didn't pay a ticket. "There's one example of a guy getting booked in for a $75 dog at large ticket. He just forgot to pay. He gets booked in and then turns around and has to pay $100 to get his photo taken off this PuebloMugShots.com, it just wasn't in the best interest of this community," said Sheriff Taylor.

Sheriff Taylor says they investigated PuebloMugShots and found its operating in Belize, Central America. He says they're not able to press charges. "You know it's just wrong," said Sheriff Taylor.

The sheriff's office points people who are arrested will still be required to take a booking photo, although it won't appear on the sheriff's website.