He used to set up computer systems for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office. Now, his mug shot is in their system. Thursday, deputies arrested a former computer tech who they say hacked his way into their server, and that was just the beginning of his troubles. One investigation led to another, which often happens during criminal investigations, but this guy was once on the inside. You might have thought he saw it coming.
33-year-old Ivan Robertson likely walked in and out of the doors at the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office several times while he worked there. For the last two years, he worked in the computer operations department, but deputies say he quit in February because he was about to get fired. Deputies say on Saturday, Robertson used his knowledge of the computer system to hack his way in and get information about someone's license plate. "Accessed the database using a test account that we had set up when he authored the program that set this up. So, he sort of created a back door into this program," says Casey Hicks with the sheriff's office.
Hicks says when detectives searched Robertson's house Thursday morning, they found thousands of dollars worth of computer equipment, and there's little guess where it came from. The tags reading "EBRSO Property" are still there. They also found handcuffs, hard drives, GPS units for cars, and a book with a title some might call an oxymoron. It's called A Guide to Ethical Hacking. Robertson is now charged with computer fraud, offenses of intellectual property, felony theft and illegal possession of stolen things. Detectives say it's all because he got caught logging into their system. "We constantly monitor that 24/7 and so, we are aware anytime anyone access the server and if it's someone doing so illegally, we're going to find them and arrest them," Hicks says.
Robertson could find himself in even more trouble. Detectives contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office. They believe he may have accessed a national crime database. If that's the case, Robertson could face federal charges.

Source: WAFB, Avery Davidson