Photo: Edgar Castrejon
August 26, 2020 – Ventura County, Ca.
The world of social media is in a constant state of flux, with new platforms and applications arriving on the scene almost daily. The California Legislature, in an attempt to exercise some sort of control over the legitimate use of online tools, has attempted to protect innocent social media users with California Penal Code 528.5.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Jeremy Bramlette, 42-year-old Oxnard resident Edgar Castrejon is accused of violating that law by assuming the identity of 45-year-old Oxnard resident Gina Bacon by hacking her social media accounts and posting “a series of racial comments” in her name.
It all began in two months ago when Bacon made comments on her social media accounts about the use of face masks which then went viral. Following those posts, additional posts under her name appeared involving “racial comments.” The internet then came alive as Bacon and others found themselves targeted “by various social media users and groups.”
At that point, Bacon suspected her accounts had been hacked, and she reported her suspicions to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Special Crimes Unit.
A painstaking investigation ensued “through numerous interviews and search warrants,” which lead detectives to identify Castrejon as the one “who impersonated Gina Bacon” and others in the course of posting “racial comments.” Castrejon was contacted, arrested, and transported to Ventura County Jail where he was booked on “various identify theft charges,” with no bail specified.
Photo: Ventura County Jail Booking
