[evilfantasy]

Putting this in the debating room as I have no clue what others might think.

After 4 years and 2 months, Julie Amerois now free.

This is pretty disturbing on many levels actually. A school teacher using a (unknown to her infected) PC in a classroom was charged with risk of injury to a minor by showing pornography when the PC started having pop-ups from porn sites during class. She didn't know how to stop them before the kids saw an eye full.

She was facing 40 years in prison!!

Sorry but to me this is over zealous prosecution and maybe even abuse of power for charging her in that fashion when it was something she never intended to happen and was basically out of her control.

She ended up pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, paying a $100 fine, and loosing her teaching license in that state.

Thanks to Sunbelt Software CEO Alex Eckelberry for giving his time and expertise in helping this woman clear her name.

Full Story: Spyware case finally closed for teacher Julie Amero

Alex Eckelberrys entries on the Sunbelt Blog:
BREAKING -- The Julie Amero horror is over
Julie Amero case update
Amero: Prosecution still believes Amero was guilty <- Dispicable attitude by the prosecutor. If the case were that strong then they wouldn't have let her plea out of it. Not on charges this severe involving children. Shows his level of respect for teachers. I hope he isn't re-elected!

Smith (the prosecutor) went on to describe all the terrible things that he believed Julie did. The judge interrupted him, telling him that he was only opening a wound, picking at a scab.

The judge even saw through the charade that the prosecution was putting on. I absolutely hate people like that. They have power and are willing to use it to destroy people just for the notoriety. Absolutely disgusting is what they are.

Rant Off

[Daveskater]

I totally agree with you mate, if she didn't know it was infected, how was she meant to stop those things from popping up?

Utterly ridiculous.

[evilfantasy]

How about suing Microsoft because you clicked on a link and didn't end up where you intended to go and your child saw a naked person? Lawyers and prosecutors are necessary but when they no longer see reality because of "their" interpretation of the law it's time for them to move on.

[Daveskater]

That's exactly it mate, spot on.

[Blackmirror]

Surely it was the IT dept who were to blame

[Rik]

That story is absolutely ludicrous, that poor woman did not deserve that treatment in any way. It's the people who create the malware that should be thrown in prison, not their innocent victims.

I am absolutely outraged by it all.

[Blackmirror]

Well yes did they have no antivirus on the pc ?

[Daveskater]

Schools normally have Norton or McAffee - says it all really.

[Blackmirror]

yes it does

[evilfantasy]

I'm not 100% sure but I think it was her personal computer. Even if not a middle school IT department is probably on a shoe string budget at best. If it even exists.

Amero had become a cause celebrate to computer security professionals who argued that she was an innocent victim of spyware programs that took control of a poorly configured computer on Oct. 19, 2004, at Kelly Middle School in Norwich, Conn., where Amero had been a substitute teacher.

[Blackmirror]

This has to be a test case and i hope lessons are learnt from it to save anyone else going through this