Teen hacks yearbook software, attributes Hitler quote to George Floyd, CT cops say
An 18-year-old accused of sneaking a quote by Adolf Hitler into his school’s yearbook is now charged with computer crimes, according to Connecticut authorities.
Police say the teen hacked a computer database that students used to submit quotes for the yearbook at Glastonbury High School, where the teenager was a student. The “insensitive” quote appeared under a classmate’s photo and was falsely attributed to George Floyd, according to an arrest log obtained by McClatchy News.
Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed in police custody last year when fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held a knee on his neck for more than 8 minutes. Three other officers failed to intervene.
“It is a quite special secret pleasure how the people around us fail to realize what is really happening to them,” the yearbook quote read, according to the Associated Press.
The student also referenced drugs and the Boston Marathon bomber in another student’s quote, police said. The alleged changes were made before the yearbook was sent to the printer in October 2020.
Glastonbury High School officials didn’t notice the altered quotes until May 2021, when yearbooks were distributed to students.
“We deeply regret not having caught the act of bigotry and vandalism before the yearbook was printed,” administrators said after having the yearbooks recalled, the AP reported. “We’re examining and will revise our yearbook procedures for collecting and reviewing future student submissions.”
Police arrested the teen on July 9 on two counts of third-degree computer crimes. His first court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 6.
This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Teen hacks yearbook software, attributes Hitler quote to George Floyd, CT cops say."