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Student won't ?be charged in computer tamperingOREGON, Jul 18, 2009 (Daily Gazette - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- No charges will be filed against an 18-year-old Polo High School student accused of tampering with the school's computer records, Ogle County State's Attorney Ben Roe said in a news release Friday. "After conferring with Polo Police Chief Dennis Christen and reviewing extensive reports and evidence, it was determined that [Ross D.] Wolf's conduct did not rise to the level of a criminal offense," Roe said in the release. Although in "an extremely serious lapse in judgment," Wolf accessed students' personal information -- including Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses -- "he did not intend to nor did his conduct result in the dissemination of this information in the furtherance of any crime," Roe said. A flaw in the school's computer system allowed Wolf to access a read-only file in January; that flaw has since been corrected, Roe said. Wolf, 17 when the incident occurred and unidentified until Friday, was disciplined by the school. Roe provided no further details. According to state law, computer tampering can be a Class A or Class B misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances. A Class A carries up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine; a Class B carries up to 6 months and a $1,500 fine. As a result of the breach, the school board hired a consultant to evaluate the security of the district's computer system, then implemented his recommendations. Board members also voted to have the system's security procedures assessed annually. To see more of The Daily Gazette or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.saukvalley.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Daily Gazette, Sterling, Ill. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |