Grade-changing hacker student avoids felony trial
Source: Palm Beach Post
A sixth-grader arrested two weeks ago for using his reading teacher's computer to change some grades won't be prosecuted as a felon, the state attorney's office said Thursday. Instead, he'll be routed through a diversionary program for first time, nonviolent offenders.
Although the details have to be worked out, Juvenile Prosecutor Ellen Mancini said the boy could be ordered to complete several hours of community service, write a letter of apology or author an essay. If the boy doesn't fulfill those conditions, he could still face criminal charges, Mancini said.
"With first-time offenders, you want to keep them on the right path," Mancini said.
The boy's father said Thursday night that he hadn't heard about the diversion program, but that the family's attorney, Robert Udell, told him "things looked good."
"He's already written letters of apology," the boy's father said. "I made him do that first thing."
