Illinois police seized computers and mobile phones while raiding a house whose owner was suspected of parodying the town mayor on Twitter.
In all, five people following the Tuesday evening raid were taken to the Peoria Police Department station for questioning, local media report.
"They just asked me about the Twitter account, if I knew anything about it,” Michelle Pratt, 27, told the Journal Star.
She said she was in the shower when officers arrived.
"They brought me in like I was a criminal," she added. "They said they had a search warrant and took all the electronic devices that had Internet access. They said there had been an Internet crime that occurred at this residence."
The @Peoriamayor account, named after Mayor Jim Ardis, has been suspended. Some tweets alluded to sex and drugs. The profile showed the mayor's picture, e-mail address, and biography, according to the Southern Illinoisan, which noted that the account was recently updated to state it was a parody.
Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard said the department was investigating misdemeanor charges of impersonating a public official, which carries a maximum one-year jail term and $2,500 fine. The chief, according to the Southern Illinoisan, said it "appears that someone went to great lengths to make it appear it was actually from the mayor."
No arrests in connection to the account were reported. One resident was booked on marijuana-possession charges.
A mockery, indeed.
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