Unable To Hack Into Grading System, Georgia Student Torches Computer Lab

McGruber writes: A 15 year-old Douglas County, Georgia high school student has been charged with five felonies, including burglary and arson, after sheriff's deputies caught him while responding to a 1 AM fire at Alexander High School. The boy admitted to investigators that he set fire to a computer after trying, unsuccessfully, to hack into the school computer system to change his grade on a failed test. "It's very sad and tragic. He could have very easily come to one of his counselors and asked for help," said Lt. Glenn Daniel with the Douglas County Sheriff's Department. "From what we can tell, (the student) was mad and frustrated because he could not hack into the system." Lt. Daniel said the charges could land the young man in prison for several years. The computer lab was cleaned up and re-opened in time for the start of that day's classes.

Comments

Re:One word: Cloud

[YrWrstNtmr]

Nobody was hurt, the next day it was business as usual. So give this kid a reasonable sentence for the damage done, and let him have a chance to see his error and learn from it. The lesson should be that he was lucky that this didn't turn into something really big. Next time his luck may change, and this experience may hold him back then. Send him to prison for seven years and he will come out as a wreck or as a professional criminal. Who wants that?

And we out here have zero idea of what his actual sentence will be. Yes, the max penalties for his felonies add up to 'years'. Will he actually get consecutive, max duration, penalty for each of them? Highly doubtful.
This, of course, depends on any past interaction with the legal system. If he is a repeat offender, then yes, he may well get the max. Otherwise, probably not.

The cop got it wrong.

[BarbaraHudson]

Only problem with that is that the police officer was wrong. Georgia law does not mandate that juveniles be tried as adults for 3rd degree arson - which is what this was (attempt to damage property of another worth $25 or more). So, legally speaking, the kid wasn't arrested - he was taken into custody (this difference is so that adults can legally say they were never arrested if their only contact is with the juvenile system - this means that it doesn't tarnish them for life).

So, he committed a delinquency, not a criminal act (a delinquency being any act that, if it were done by an adult, would be a crime).

So, when the article, based on information from the cop, states:

The boy, who was not identified because he is a minor, faces five felonies, including burglary and arson. Lt. Daniel said the charges could land the young man in prison for several years.

, ... he is wrong. The minor faces 5 delinquencies, not felonies. Even detention at a youth detention facility is not considered prison under the legal system.