Via Sun-Sentinel -
Cooper City High School's senior class president was arrested Tuesday and charged in a grade-tampering scandal that has rocked the campus.
Ryan C. Shrouder, 18, of Cooper City, was taken to jail from school and charged with two counts of computer crime with intent to defraud, a second-degree felony, according to a Broward Sheriff's Office report.
He was released from jail on bail, has been suspended from school and will be recommended for expulsion, said Joe Melita, head of the Broward County School District's investigative unit.
Shrouder serves as the alternate student advisor to the Broward School Board. He often sits in on board meetings and was issued a school district laptop computer. Sheriff's Office investigators say Shrouder took advantage of that access and used an employee password to access the district's network and change the grades of 19 students. It's unclear whether authorities think he changed his own grades.Shrouder was considered the main suspect, but other students could be punished for being involved, Melita said.
Shrouder's attorney said his client will plead not guilty and that he is being unfairly singled out."To charge a kid with a computer crime is absurd," said Fort Lauderdale attorney Fred Haddad. "There's plenty of ways to handle this besides charging a felony."
"Shrouder's attorney said his client will plead not guilty and that he is being unfairly singled out."To charge a kid with a computer crime is absurd," said Fort Lauderdale attorney Fred Haddad. "There's plenty of ways to handle this besides charging a felony.""
ReplyDeleteOMG is his lawyer his mother? "Little Jimmy couldn't have done anything wrong, he's a perfect angel." BARF! The kid is getting exactly what he deserves, and with that he'll probably end up getting off too lightly.
Yes whoever involved him as a "alternate student advisor" should have their head examined for giving him a laptop and employee access (maybe he shoulder surfed...but still). But that doesn't remove the blame, it was put in a position of trust and abused that trust.
I do agree with you Thorin, but perhaps giving the kid a felony is a bit too much, but he broke the law...and he knew what he was doing was against the law. IMHO, for a first offense, a felony charge seems a bit heavy handed....but for his lawyer to claim that he shouldn't be charged with a computer crime is just silly.
ReplyDeleteWhat else should he be charged with? Wire fraud? Armed robbery? ...seriously.
With that being said, I think we all agree that computer crime laws aren't perfect and some serious tweaking is needed across the board.
I guess I can agree that a felony charge is a little harsh.
ReplyDeleteHowever, a simple expulsion is also to lenient (sp?).
Agreed, he broke the law and the world doesn't want to look weak on school hacking, just because the hackers are young. However, that is the catch-22. They are young and we all know that our brains just work different when we are young.
ReplyDeleteI personally like the solution talked about in the end of the Sun article.
"Last year, a West Boca Raton High student used employee passwords to hack into the Palm Beach County district network and change transcripts for students at four high schools. He was ordered to pay restitution and complete a yearlong program to avoid being prosecuted for felony computer fraud."
Charge them with a lower grade crime, and give them a program or something else that they HAVE to do. If that is not completed or they decide that they don't have to do it. Give'em the full law.
IMHO, this is how to deal with first timers.