A TikTok-creator couple in West Virginia landed behind bars after investigators allegedly recovered surveillance footage of a burning piece of paper changing hands moments before a Charleston house was engulfed and a nearby church was left with thousands of dollars in damage.
Dakota Harper, 21, and Felicity Eatmon, 22, were arrested in connection with the Sunday night fire that tore through an abandoned home on the 400 block of Maryland Avenue in Kanawha County and damaged Canaan United Methodist Church.
The fire call came in around 11:15 p.m., and the case now centers on footage that investigators say shows the pair at the property as the flames began.
Eatmon allegedly passed Harper a flaming piece of paper before Harper put it inside the home, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.
As the fire grew, the complaint says, Harper and Eatmon partly stepped into the property before leaving the area.
The couple were charged with conspiracy to commit arson and first-degree arson, with court documents placing both at South-Central Regional Jail on a $10,000 cash bond.
Their court history already included a June arrest on misdemeanor charges citing property damage and conspiracy, according to West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitations documents.
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The arson case picked up traction online after courtroom video of Harper began circulating, with viewers focusing on his appearance at arraignment rather than only the charges.
Harper is listed in court records at 3 feet, 9 inches tall and 43 pounds.
Inside the Kanawha County courtroom, Harper sat down before an officer moved his chair closer to the table, leaving his head barely visible above the desk.
Eatmon, who has called herself Harper’s fiancée in social media videos, appeared beside him.
The couple are due back before Judge Leslie Grace on Oct. 5 for a preliminary hearing.
A first-degree arson conviction could carry up to 20 years in prison, while felony conspiracy could bring up to 25 years.
The West Virginia fire case is part of a growing run of criminal cases in which online fame, filmed stunts and social media personas have followed defendants into court.
In Arizona, Heston James Cobb, who posts as “Heston James,” pleaded guilty in late summer to criminal impersonation after Tempe police connected him to filmed business takeovers that drew millions of views.
Police said Cobb entered local businesses with groups of men dressed like workers, moved into areas reserved for employees and ignored demands to leave.
One video showed Cobb wearing a Chipotle Mexican Grill shirt and telling employees he was going to “clean house” before men in dark shirts entered the restaurant and refused to leave. Another man acting as a worker cleaned a tabletop with a mop.
Cobb was 21 when police arrested him in July 2025 after tying him to incidents at Chipotle, Pep Boys, Hyland Auto Repair, Big Brand Tire & Service and Jiffy Lube.
The incidents stretched from March through July 2025, with Tempe police calling Cobb the “leader” and saying he directed others to start “working” once they entered the businesses.
Police said the videos appeared on Cobb’s social media accounts, where the clips drew millions of views and may have produced large amounts of money.
Detectives connected several Tempe cases in early July, identified Cobb as the person behind the Heston James accounts and arrested him at home on July 23, 2025.
He was booked on one count of third-degree burglary, two counts of criminal impersonation, five counts of disorderly conduct and five counts of criminal trespass.
In Tennessee, ten teenagers were arrested in July after residents in an upscale Franklin neighborhood reported people hitting front doors and running away shortly after 11 p.m. on a Tuesday.
The viral “Door Kick Challenge” involves people, usually teens or young adults, kicking residential front doors, often after dark, before fleeing.
Franklin police responded to multiple calls, surrounded the neighborhood and stopped a vehicle carrying all ten suspects, the department said.
Officers reported finding a ski mask and a BB gun made to closely resemble a real handgun inside the vehicle.
Gio Smith, 18, and Jordan Curll, 18, were charged with aggravated burglary, vandalism and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
Eight other suspects, ages 14 to 17, were taken into custody and charged in Juvenile Court with aggravated burglary, vandalism and curfew violations.
Franklin Police Chief Deb Faulkner warned that the online stunt could make homeowners think they were facing an actual break-in.
“This dangerous trend is far from harmless,” Faulkner stated. “Kicking the door of an occupied home in the middle of the night creates fear and uncertainty for the people inside.
“Homeowners have no way of knowing whether someone is playing a prank or attempting to break into their home, and they may respond accordingly to protect themselves and their families,” she added.
In Florida, fitness influencer Wes Watson pleaded guilty in July to aggravated battery after a confrontation at Elevation Fitness in Miami-Dade County, where investigators said surveillance footage showed him striking a man with a weightlifting belt.
Watson, 42, entered the plea through an agreement that had prosecutors recommend 21 months in prison with credit for time served, followed by seven years of probation and court-ordered mental health treatment.
The former prison inmate built a large online audience after his release with posts about fitness, discipline, entrepreneurship and life after prison.
The Miami-Dade case is separate from multiple pending felony cases in Broward County, where prosecutors have charged Watson with felony battery, aggravated assault, witness tampering and charges tied to an alleged domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend.
