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Man charged with giving alcohol to 3 underage girls he met on Facebook

FORT MILL, S.C. — A Fort Mill man is charged with giving alcohol to three young girls he met on Facebook. One of them is only 12.

York County sheriff's deputies said 21-year-old John Chapman communicated with the girls on Facebook on Sunday.

They asked him to come to their home in Sharon, and bring alcohol.

A neighbor happened to see Chapman's motorcycle parked on the shoulder of McConnell's Highway and called police, because she didn't recognize him.

Eddie Brooks is the father of two of the girls. The third was a 14-year-old friend. Brooks told Channel 9 he was furious when he learned what his daughters had done.

"They're not innocent in this, I know that. I preach to them all the time about being careful who they talk to on Facebook," Brooks said.

Brooks is a single father who tries to keep up with the activities of his children online, and on social media, but admits it's not easy

"I check their accounts every so often, I delete people that I think are too old. When I find someone who's not of school age, they gotta go," he said.

However, one of Brooks' daughters had another Facebook account he wasn't aware of. She used that account to communicate with Chapman.

She had never met him in person.

Deputies said Chapman brought over several containers of Smirnoff Ice, and all of them drank it. Chapman was charged with three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The three young girls were cited for underage drinking, and will go through family court.

Sheriff's spokesman Trent Faris said parents need to watch their children's social media use closely.

"These girls were 12 and 13 years old, and they just contacted this guy on Facebook, and he came over. Not knowing who this person was," he said.

Brooks told Channel 9 he took away his daughter's phones and their iPad. He's also grounded them. He's not sure what else he could've done.

"I don't know how I could be any more careful," he said. "Any parents out there, you have to be aware of all this stuff. This is new to me."