A worried mother in New Mexico has been slapped with a criminal record... over something she posted on Facebook.
Jeanette Garza Alvarez, 32, caused a major panic at her son's school when she sent a warning to other parents of children attending Sierra Middle School after receiving some alarming information from her son.
"Anyone else's kids go to Sierra?" she asked her Facebook followers. "My son says some 8th graders are planning on bringing guns to school maybe Monday and have a shootout to see who's the first to die."
She added that her son told her the school made an announcement to children advising them on how to react if there really was a shooting.
Speaking to KRQU, Roswell Police spokesman Todd Wildermuth said:
"Her concern for her son's safety and for other student's safety was certainly understandable, but what should have been done was to call the school, call the police department, let them know what she had heard."
As a result, 160 students were absent from school on the following Monday - which the police categorised as a public nuisance.
Now, Alvarez has to pay $29 in court fees and has faced criticism from other parents who believe she was "irresponsible".