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Men Allegedly Helped Protestors Avoid Police

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Oct 5, 2009 10:14 pm US/Eastern

Men Allegedly Helped Protestors Avoid Police

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Two men from New York allegedly used Twitter to help G-20 protestors avoid police.

Police say that Elliot Madison, of Queens, NY, and Michael Wallschlaeger monitored police scanners from a room at the CareFree Inn in Kennedy Township and used Twitter to communicate that information with protestors.

The men were charged with criminal use of police communications.

By monitoring those Twitter communications and developing other information, the police entered room 238 at the motel and arrested them.

"They had headphones on, microphones and they were communicating with protestors," State Police Trooper Robin Mungo said.

But the ACLU and protestors don't feel Madison and Wallschlaeger committed any crime, saying they had a right to monitor the scanners.

"People listen to their police scanners in their living room every day and they call their friends and say, 'Hey there's something happening over in another part of town,'" reasoned activist Albert Petrarca.

But State Police say Madison was using that information to assist in a crime which is against the law.

"It would be no different than if you had someone in your home that committed a crime or if you gave someone to get away after they had committed a crime," Mungo said.

The FBI raided Madison's apartment in Queens where they found gas masks, test tubes, vials and computers.

More charges could be forthcoming.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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