Sam and Colby Regard Their Arrest in 2019 as a "Blessing in Disguise"

Sam Golbach and Colby Brock shot to fame with YouTube videos documenting their adventures around some of the spookiest abandoned buildings the U.S. has to offer. 

The ambitious ghost hunters search for spirits and supernatural phenomena in the strangest of places. During a 2019 video shooting, however, they stumbled upon something all-together quite different — a member of the police. So, why did Sam and Colby get arrested? 

Sam and Colby got arrested on Jan. 16, 2019, while shooting a video at an abandoned school building near Hillsborough County, Fla.

As Metro reveals, the stars decided to hop the fence and enter the property without a permit. A nosy neighbor watched the shambles unfold up close and they alerted the police without a second thought. Sam and Colby were taken to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. 

Within hours, their mugshots went viral on Twitter. A worried fan launched a petition demanding the police to let them go. Another person took it to the social media platform to advise others against repeatedly calling the police station where the boys were held. Someone created a hashtag, #FreeSamandColby. 

"Guys this is so important DO NOT OHONE THE POLICE STATION OR BOTHER THE POLICE they will get more pissed and treat Sam and Colby like sh--:(( #FREESAMANDCOLBY [sic]," wrote a person on Twitter.

"So... do we try and get #FreeSamAndColby trending?" wrote another. 

According to Hollywood Life, Sam and Colby were released on Jan. 17, 2019. That same day they posted a series of tweets to calm down worried fans.

"Just wanted to say we are both safe and okay, sorry for any worry. After such a long process, Colby’s bond is now paid for (he will be released soon), and we should be both back in California tomorrow," tweeted Sam. 

"going to jail in a justin bieber shirt isn’t the best idea. but i’m okay. love you guys," added Colby.

In a previous interview with Metro, the stars described the experience as a 'blessing in disguise.' 

"It forced us to change the way we do content and that really elevated our channel. Instead of doing something we weren’t really comfortable with, we were forced to make a change," Sam told the outlet. 

The arrest led the stars to revise their work methods. They hired a new team of experts, and they became more cautious about entering fenced-off properties. However, some fans didn't manage to recover from the shock. On Jan. 17, 2020, #FreeSamandColby was trending on Twitter once again.  

Some believed that the viral hashtag signaled that the boys got into trouble again. As other Twitter users reasoned, the hashtag garnered popularity because it was the first anniversary of Sam and Colby's arrest. 

To date, the boys have only been to jail once. They take their career as YouTubers more seriously these days — and hopefully, they won't get into trouble again for shooting videos anytime soon.