E-mailed threat A 15-year-old Pearl City student will not spend any time in confinement for e-mailing threats to a Harrison, N.J., high school last year.
nets no jail time
An Oahu teen had e-mailed
a threat to a New Jersey schoolBy Debra Barayuga
dbarayuga@starbulletin.comThe youth had been charged as a juvenile with two counts each of unauthorized use of a computer and terroristic threatening. Had the youth been charged as an adult, he would have faced up to five years in prison for unauthorized use of a computer.
The case was the first involving threats via the Internet to be prosecuted here at the state level.
The teen appeared in Family Court last week, but the proceeding was closed to the public because he is a juvenile.
Howard Luke, the boy's attorney, would not discuss the specific terms and conditions imposed by the court but said the youth has been allowed to return to school and can continue to use computers but with some restrictions.
He characterized the teen as intelligent, capable and a good person with a tremendous amount of potential.
"Both the prosecutor and I believe he will someday make a substantial positive contribution to the community," Luke said.
Detective Chris Duque of the Honolulu Police Department's white-collar crime unit said e-mail threats are taken seriously by law enforcement in light of the 1999 Columbine High shootings and similar incidents of school violence.
In this case, Harrison High School officials took the threats seriously enough that the school was evacuated and searched for bombs. None were found.
The Legislature amended computer crime laws last session to address specific offenses committed through the use of a computer, said Deputy Prosecutor Randal Lee.
Honolulu police are equipped to thoroughly investigate computer-related crimes, and the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney will prosecute, Lee said.