According to CNN.com, Sam Patterson II of Sparta, MI is in deep trouble for not buying a cup of coffee. It seems that Sam would drive down to the Re-Union Street Cafe everyday to check his E-Mail over the Cafe’s WiFi access point. According to the report, Sam never went into the cafe, he just pulled up in front close enough to pick up the WiFi signal and get his E-Mail. Guess Sam didn’t want anyone to think he was too frugal to spring for coffee. His habit of parking in the same area every day drew the attention of the local police who, after checking the law, determined that Sam was breaking the state anti-hacking law and arrested him. The law calls for up to 5 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
The owner, who did not file a complaint, stated that if Sam had stopped in and had a coffee while he checked his E-Mail there would not have been a problem since there is a big sign in the window of the cafe advertising WiFi access for customers.
Now, if Sam had lived in Westchester County, New York, there would be a whole different story. Laws in the county put the responsibility of restricting un-authorized access to their WiFi systems squarely on the shoulders of the access point provider. If it’s not secured the owner could be faced with a fine.
So what did we learn from this - it looks like Sparta, MI is a very safe, relatively crime free place to live. The police certainly seem to have run out of things to do.
There is a video report clip on CNN.com at http://www.cnn.com/?eref=rss_topstories , today, but you may have to hunt for it at a later date