Apparently America has a bad boy complex. Well, for one bad boy at least.
Jeremy Meeks, a 30-year-old from Stockton, California, who was arrested on June 20 for firearm possession, gang membership and probation violation, became a national obsession after his attractive mug shot was posted on social media.
The picture went viral, with “Jeremy Meeks mug shot” receiving six million search results on Google.
On the Stockton Police Department’s Facebook page, more than 95,000 people “liked” it — the majority of them women. They also commented, mostly praising Meeks’s baby blues and sharp cheekbones. “Criminal or not, HOT is HOT!” said one. Another added, “Mama, I’m in love with a criminal.”
Meeks’s family is now trying to take advantage of all this adulation. His mother, Katherine Angier, has set up a GoFundMe page with a $25,000 goal, which will help him “get a fair trial.”
She writes, ”He has old tattoos… which causes him to be stereotyped. He's my son and I'm just trying to raise funds to help him in any way.”
So far, about $3,700 has been donated.