Another crime?

[Igneouss]

I just saw an unconfirmed report of hiker (trail name: Hornet) claiming he is stealing from other hikers and avoiding the police. Can anyone confirm this? I can't tell if it's true or just internet troll/spam.

[chknfngrs]

Where’d ya see this?

[Igneouss]

A second hand friend who is hiking the AT received the info from another friend I do not know. Vague, I know. Hence the way I asked the question. After I heard from the hiker I looked around on sources like WB and saw nothing to confirm. The info I received included some details and a picture which I am not comfortable posting without some level of confirmation... I don't want to unknowingly propagate false info.

[Rain Man]

And yet ... you start a thread, based on hearsay?

[GoldenBear]

A user who, prior to today, has posted a grand total of zero posts of any kind.
S/he comes on here and does the fairly typical "I heard from a friend of a friend" type post. At least s/he admits the first "source" is someone "I do not know."
Kudos for admitting the admission that s/he does not want "to unknowingly propagate false info."

I think it's safe to say this is story is a propagation of unconfirmed info.

Take it from someone who's used the internet for almost 25 years now: ANYTIME you post something along the lines of "Is this story true?", it will be IMMEDIATELY passed on as "I read on the internet that..." and then will become "This is absolutely true."
The best thing to do is simply NOT post anything along these lines.
Instead, make a private request for info to the authorities in the jurisdiction of interest.
Otherwise, you are GUARANTEED to propagate false info.

[Igneouss]

Well, I believe I added adequate skepticism to my post. Also I have a fair amount of detail. Enough to justify asking the question. But posting that detail when unconfirmed wouldn't be appropriate in my opinion. We'll see if anything comes up or not.

[TNhiker]

I have seen something on FB about this dude...

but has no real details and it's been kinda a one sided meme about him....

[Igneouss]

Yeah. The story is difficult to assess. I was hoping someone might show up here and describe what happened as a form of independent confirmation.

[kestral]

Read this well written article from outside magazine about a professional con man. Very charming guy it seems like. The kind of guy on the surface most of us would like to spend time with. One line kind of struck home. “ the lines become blurred between friend, lover and potential victim”. Starts out maybe legitimate reach for friendship then old habits kick in. End justify the means.

Folks like this just seem to view life differently than most people. They are charming and very skilled at their ‘art’ or ‘job’ because they have practiced for a lifetime and know what works. At least this particular man did not physically assault his victims. Interesting about his switching between seeming remorse and then total justification for his actions.

Watched a video on police interview of Gary Michael Hilton, the guy who murdered at least 4 people including Merideth Emerson. (A young woman hiking on blood mountain). His comment was ‘I was down to 40 bucks and had three days food left. I knew I had to kill someone.” The recent murder on the AT seems to have been a different type of monster. An out of control raging man who had periods of delusional thinking. These people are out there, they always will be. Be aware and be safe.

I don’t have the link to Hilton’s interview, but here’s the Outside magazine link. https://www.outsideonline.com/2243621/appalachian-hustle

yeah I have an interest in sociopaths because I have been greatly affected by them. Again, be smarter than me and be careful.

[stephanD]

As late President Reagan was fond of saying: " Trust, but verify".