[hiredhand]

Good post. The mom’s defense may sound shaky to some but the reality is unsecured networks are so common that finding and sometimes using them has become a hobby for some people. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardriving)

The gaps that were present in the original posting are definitely being filled in, and they leave some large questions. As word of this spreads, pressure on the authorities will grow. There is an underlying problem here of the abuse of authorities rooted in their lack of understanding the technology well enough to base a decision. Worse than this, they took somebody's word (the FBI according to the last article) for it, and this "word" was patently incorrect.

[Cboldt]

Those claims led the office of US Attorney David Capp to issue a press release today [May 7, 2009] insisting that the arrest and detention of Ashton Lundeby "is unrelated to the PATRIOT act."

"The juvenile has appeared in court on three occasions, once in North Carolina for an initial hearing and a detention hearing, and twice in Indiana for a continued initial hearing and a status hearing," the press release relates. "At each hearing, the juvenile was represented by counsel.... The juvenile is presently housed in a juvenile facility in the Northern District of Indiana where he does not have contact with adult offenders. His mother has been apprised of each court appearance and has attended the hearing in North Carolina; she did not appear at either of the hearings in Indiana."

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/026683.html : William Grigg

The website for the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana does not link to the press release, or even acknowledge that one exists. The press release page has no releases past February, 2009.