Computer tileA 20-year-old Chickamauga, Ga., man on Monday pleaded guilty to a felony in the first case prosecuted under the new Alabama Digital Crime Act passed in 2012.
Chickamauga resident Thomas Jack Hixon pleaded guilty to attempted computer tampering, a class C felony, in Calhoun County, Ala., Circuit Court netting a five-year prison sentence and a $1,000 fine, according to release from Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange. Hixon must also pay court costs and a $50 fee to the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission.
The charge and plea stems from Hixon’s attempts to access confidential information systems maintained by the state of Alabama, officials said.
Hixon called the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office claiming to be an employee of the Weaver Police Department. Using “spoofing” software, Hixon further concealed his identity by manipulating the caller ID to show him as calling from the Weaver Police Department as he attempted to obtain a user name and password for access to computerized confidential law enforcement records contained in the National Crime Information Center database known in law enforcement circles as “NCIC.”
“The Alabama Digital Crime Act is an important law to protect our state and to maintain the security of confidential law enforcement records,” Strange said.