Teen Hacker Jailed for Swatting, Sentence Seems Excessive

Image Credit: Associated Press

Okay, I get why Randal Ellis of Orange County should be in trouble. At the age of 19, he hacked a 911 phone system and dialed in a phony distress call. To cut a long story short, an armed SWAT team complete with dogs approached the home of Doug Bates. Bates, who was alarmed by the noise picked up a kitchen knife and went to investigate. You can see how this could have gotten very ugly indeed. Bates and his wife were handcuffed until the prank was discovered.

For his part in the pandemonium, Randal Ellis was hit with a $14,765 fine and a three-year jail term. Someone could very well have been killed by what he did, yet you have to ask yourself if he had seriously considered the possible consequences of his actions. Are three years of federal prison really necessary to make him see the error of his ways; especially when one considers how things go for nineteen-year-olds in adult prisons? They clearly decided to throw the book at the young man when he was charged with false imprisonment. For my money, a suspended prison sentence and two thousand hours of community service would have left this kid with some hope of rehabilitation.

Source: The Age