Final Charges Dropped In Husband-Wife Hacking Case
PONTIAC (WWJ/AP) - Prosecutors dropped all charges against a man accused of violating Michigan's computer hacking law in 2010 by reading his then-wife's email to confirm suspicions she was having an affair with a previous husband. He then tried to use that information in divorce proceedings.
Last week, Oakland County authorities dropped a five-year felony hacking charge against Leon Walker after Clara Walker acknowledged she herself read text messages on her husband's phone during the same time period.
On Thursday, prosecutors dropped a remaining charge of attempting to get access to a confidential law enforcement database. Leon Walker worked as a computer tech for Oakland County at the time and accessed a confidential law enforcement database to see if any other spouses had ever been charged with reading e-mail, also a violation of the state's computer hacking law.
Prosecutors also dropped that charge, after witnesses told investigators differing stories about whether Leon Walker had permission to be on the computer that holds that law enforcement data.
"It came down to an issue of permission," chief assistant prosecutor Paul Walton told The Detroit Free Press. "We couldn't meet our burden beyond a reasonable doubt that he didn't have permission."
Leon Walker, who could not be immediately reached for comment, has been on paid leave since his arrest, and it's not clear if he would seek his county job back.
The Walkers have since divorced.
TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.