The investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s hacked e-mail account continued on Sunday, when FBI investigators searched the apartment of a college student considered to be the primary suspect in the case.

According to various media reports, 20-year-old David Kernell, son of Democratic state rep Mike Kernell, could be behind the hack. However, a local report revealed that no charges have been filed against him, although he is expected to testify this week in Chattanooga.

David Kernell’s name came to the attention of the press after a user calling himself “rubico” posted details about the hack on a 4chan.org board last week. Later on, his father confirmed to the newspaper Tennessean that his son was “rubico,” although he did not make further comments on the matter.

The FBI investigation also pointed at David, after his IP address was linked to his apartment in Knoxville, despite attempts to cover his tracks by using a proxy server called Ctunnel.com. Upon search, which reportedly lasted for approximately 2 hours, David Kernell and his friends fled the scene.

The story about Sarah Palin’s e-mail account became a hot topic, after the hacker posted screenshots of her personal e-mail messages and revealed how easy it was to change the password to the account by simply responding to a series of “secret” questions, whose answers were at the reach of an Internet search.

The hack came just as questions on Sarah Palin’s use of her e-mail account for government business started to emerge. Palin is believed to have used personal e-mail to solve political matters and then cover the story (while Palin must always keep copies of official e-mails, she is entitled to delete personal messages).

Whether Kernell is found guilty or not, he will probably not face a very harsh punishment, such as serving time in jail, due to some unclear legal matters.