13 fake arrest stories that spread with fabricated, misused mug shots ⁠47%

By Aleksandra Wrona⁠11%

7/19/2026, 6:00:08 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 22 faulty reasoning types, including Anecdotal, Quote-first Misdirection, and Negativity Bias, with Unattributed Quote as the most egregious example at 35.5% saturation with 170 hits. Analysis detected 1,486 faulty-reasoning hits from 479 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 48.5% and a BS Rank of ⁠47% (11,709 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 53.50% of the article peer group.

Fabricated arrest stories have become a common way for social media accounts to attract attention, often using police-style mug shots to make bizarre claims appear credible. 
Some posts feature entirely AI-generated faces, while others reuse genuine mug shots and falsely associate the people pictured with crimes they never committed. 
Many originate from satirical social media accounts but are later shared without labels or context, leading some readers to mistake them for authentic news reports. 
Below are 13 examples of fake arrest stories featuring fake or misused mug shots that we've investigated over the years: 
Was Florida woman arrested after riding shopping cart down highway? 
Not so fast 
According to the tale, the woman had fashioned a sail out of a shower curtain. 
Read More 
Did police arrest woman for posing as Costco employee, handing out meatball samples? 
According to the story, police took Sienna Halverson, 31, into custody in Glendale, Arizona. 
Read More 
Was Florida woman arrested for handing out tequila samples in Costco? 
The story originated from social media posts by The Dude Humor Report, which labels its content ... 
Read More 
Was Memphis woman arrested after listing husband for sale on Facebook Marketplace? 
According to the story, Tammy Sue Pickens of Memphis, Tennessee, tried to sell her husband, Rick ... 
Read More 
Was Florida man arrested after baptizing alligator in Waffle House? 
Don't bite 
According to the claim, the man attempted to use a pitcher of iced tea to perform the "baptism." 
Read More 
Rumor has it Florida woman called police on neighbor for 'suspicious British accent.' 
Don't be fooled 
Before police arrived, the woman allegedly told her neighbor to “stop pretending to be British.” 
Read More 
Did man break into Barnes & Noble to finish reading book? 
According to the story, 48-year-old Gary Hollis of Portland, Oregon, broke into the bookstore to ... 
Read More 
Was man named Ethan Caldwell arrested for posing as museum tour guide? 
According to the tale, the man invented fake histories for every painting. 
Read More 
Waffle House waitress was arrested after 'hash brown dispute'? 
This story is circulating with an image supposedly showing the waitress's mugshot and donation l ... 
Read More 
Police arrested Starbucks barista at Portland airport after tipping dispute? 
The story said the barista asked customers who declined to tip, "You'll drop hundreds on plane t ... 
Read More 
Texas man Deshawn Miller arrested for boat rescues during flooding? 
Posts claimed the 42-year-old man rescued at least nine elderly residents trapped in a retiremen ... 
Read More 
Criminal Caught After Cutting Off 37 Man Buns in 1 Day? 
The alleged haircut bandit was purportedly arrested in February 2023. 
Read More 
Was a Man Named Carl Twinly Arrested For Pretending to be a Cow? 
The mugshot included in this rumor is genuine, but the story? 
Read More 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 14.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 2.1%Snopes: 2.4%Confirmation Bias14.0%This article: 5.8%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.5%Snopes: 0.8%Anchoring Bias5.8%This article: 17.3%Aleksandra Wrona: 3.7%Snopes: 3.4%Availability Heuristic17.3%This article: 6.9%Aleksandra Wrona: 2.1%Snopes: 1.3%Representativeness Heuristic6.9%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.2%Snopes: 0.2%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 1.0%Snopes: 1.2%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 25.1%Aleksandra Wrona: 1.6%Snopes: 2.4%Framing Effect25.1%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.6%Snopes: 0.2%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.4%Snopes: 0.5%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.1%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.6%Snopes: 0.5%Optimism Bias0.0%This article: 1.7%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.3%Snopes: 0.4%Pessimism Bias1.7%This article: 30.7%Aleksandra Wrona: 4.5%Snopes: 5.1%Negativity Bias30.7%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.9%Snopes: 0.7%Self-Serving Bias0.0%This article: 8.4%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.3%Snopes: 0.6%Fundamental Attribution Error8.4%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.1%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.2%Snopes: 0.5%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.3%Snopes: 0.3%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 1.1%Snopes: 0.6%Halo Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.0%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 1.9%Aleksandra Wrona: 1.3%Snopes: 1.5%Recency Bias1.9%This article: 21.5%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.8%Snopes: 0.5%Primacy Effect21.5%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.1%Snopes: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.3%Snopes: 1.5%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.2%Snopes: 0.4%Straw Man0.0%This article: 3.5%Aleksandra Wrona: 6.9%Snopes: 6.0%Appeal to Authority3.5%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.7%Snopes: 0.9%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.6%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.1%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 19.6%Aleksandra Wrona: 4.4%Snopes: 3.5%Hasty Generalization19.6%This article: 2.3%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.3%Snopes: 0.7%Red Herring2.3%This article: 3.3%Aleksandra Wrona: 1.3%Snopes: 1.5%Bandwagon3.3%This article: 10.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 2.1%Snopes: 3.0%Appeal to Emotion10.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.2%Snopes: 0.4%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 1.3%Snopes: 1.6%Post Hoc (False Cause)0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.2%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 1.7%Aleksandra Wrona: 2.3%Snopes: 1.6%Burden of Proof1.7%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.1%Snopes: 0.2%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.2%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 34.7%Aleksandra Wrona: 3.1%Snopes: 1.8%Anecdotal34.7%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.1%Snopes: 0.1%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 7.9%Aleksandra Wrona: 1.9%Snopes: 1.8%Ambiguity (Equivocation)7.9%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.2%Snopes: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.1%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.1%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.1%Snopes: 0.3%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 35.5%Aleksandra Wrona: 3.1%Snopes: 3.3%Unattributed Quote35.5%This article: 31.3%Aleksandra Wrona: 2.9%Snopes: 2.3%Quote-first Misdirection31.3%This article: 23.6%Aleksandra Wrona: 2.8%Snopes: 2.5%Biased Writer Voice23.6%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 2.1%Snopes: 0.7%Indoctrination0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.2%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.0%Snopes: 0.3%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 3.5%Aleksandra Wrona: 0.5%Snopes: 0.4%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…3.5%

479 words analyzed.

Speakers

1speaker3.5%attributed speech462writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 11 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 26 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 23 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 25 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 15 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 13 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 14 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 11 words • 100.0% coverageThe Dude Humor Report • 17 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 17 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 13 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 15 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 11 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 16 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 16 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 16 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 11 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 13 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 11 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverage
Selected voice

The Dude Humor Report

100%flagged-word coverage
17 attributed words100% of attributed speech94% writer coverage
0%50.0%100.0%Attempt to Sell a Product +100.0 ptsWriter: 0.0%The Dude Humor Report: 100.0%100.0%Unattributed Quote+66.9 ptsWriter: 33.1%The Dude Humor Report: 100.0%100.0%Quote-first Misdirection-32.5 ptsWriter: 32.5%The Dude Humor Report: 0.0%0.0%Biased Writer Voice-24.5 ptsWriter: 24.5%The Dude Humor Report: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.