Brunswick, N.C. authorities charge two high school students after school computer system hacked

Detectives with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office arrested two South Brunswick High School students in connection with unlawfully accessing the Brunswick County, N.C. School’s computer system, said Emily Flax, spokeswoman for the department.

Justin Fine Wright, 16, of Southport and Onzel Dupree Ballard, 16, of Bolivia, were each charged with one count of misdemeanor accessing computers and computer trespassing, Flax said.

In North Carolina, Wright and Ballard are considered adults, Flax said.

Wright and Dupree were booked into the Brunswick County Detention Facility and later released into the custody of their parents.

Brunswick, N.C. school officials called the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office on March 24 to request assistance in investigating the computer hacking, which significantly disrupted internet connectivity throughout the school, Flax said.

Wright and Dupree’s actions resulted in staff and student frustration and loss of system-wide productivity.

“We appreciate the quick work of investigators to identify suspects in the DDoS attacks,” said Superintendent Les Tubb. “The system’s connectivity has been restored and we are back to business as usual.”

These arrests stem from incidents which occurred from September 15, 2014 to March 25, Flax said.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 10:16 AM with the headline "Brunswick, N.C. authorities charge two high school students after school computer system hacked."