Substitute teacher faces prison term over spyware-infected class computer
Earlier this month a jury in Connecticut convicted teacher Julie Amero on four counts of risking injury to a minor after an incident in 2004 in which pornographic images popped up on her classroom PC. Several students at the middle school saw the pop-up porn.
Prosecutors argued Amero actively visted porn sites in the classroom. The case has become something of a cause celebre among critics who say Amero is an innocent victim of a poorly-secured computer hopelessly infected with programs that served up ads for porn sites.
W. Herbert Horner, a computer consultant who examined the computer and testified on behalf of Amero, says the judge did not let him present all of his evidence.
Computer security firm Sunbelt Software, which makes anti-spyware programs, has come to Amero's defense. CEO Alex Eckelberry says the evidence shows that students visited some Web sites that deposited the spyware and adware on Amero's computer.