Kernell pleads innocent to Palin hack charge

08.10.2008
David Kernell, the Tennessee college student charged with hacking the e-mail account of Republican vice presidential candidate , pleaded not guilty Wednesday and was released without bond, according to court documents.

Kernell, 20, of Knoxville, Tenn., was arraigned before a federal judge Wednesday, a day after a grand jury of accessing a computer without authorization. Earlier in the day, Kernell turned himself in to the , a Washington, D.C.-based (DOJ) spokeswoman said.

After Kernell pleaded not guilty, he was released on his own recognizance. However, the court imposed conditions on Kernell, a student at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, before releasing him. A DOJ spokeswoman in Knoxville confirmed that they include a ban on owning a computer and a restriction on Kernell's use of the Internet to e-mail and his college coursework.

Kernell was also forbidden from having any contact with Gov. Palin or her family, and cannot travel outside eastern Tennessee without the approval of a probation officer.

Kernell's trial date has been set for Dec. 16, with a pre-trial conference scheduled for Dec. 2.

Kernell, the son of , a long-time Democratic state representative from Memphis, allegedly broke into Alaska Gov. Palin's Yahoo Mail account by using the Web mail service's feature. After he accessed the "gov.palin@yahoo.com" account, he took screenshots of several messages and posted them on a public board, the grand jury said.