Ohio man charged in Utah police hacks
Said to be a member of hacker activist group Anonymous, the man is alleged to have been involved in bringing down police Web sites.
An Ohio man has been indicted in connection with attacks that brought down the Web sites of police agencies in Utah.
John Anthony Borell III, of Toledo, Ohio, has been charged with two counts of felony computer intrusion and is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court today.
He is accused of bringing down two police Web sites in late January, causing thousands of dollars in damage, according to court documents.
Borell is apparently a member of the hacker activist group Anonymous, which has taken credit for numerous online attacks. Law enforcement officials were aided in their investigation by Borell's comments on Twitter and on Web sites about the attack, according to reports.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the Web site of Salt Lake City Police was down for nearly three months. Last week, the police department relaunched the site. Borell is also accused of hacking into the Utah Chiefs of Police Association Web site.
The initial attacks in Utah were reportedly done to protect proposed anti-piracy legislation.