These last few weeks, it has been rumored that someone, somewhere, somehow managed to hack Sarah Palin’s e-mail account. The fuming Governor of Alaska had her password reset on September 16th, thus causing her to lose access to her e-mail account but enabling the hacker full access to it.

The hacker turned himself in and pleaded not guilty. And in case you’re wondering who hacked Sarah Palin’s e-mail account (and of course you are!), it’s David Kernell, a 20-year-old guy from Knoxville, Tennessee. But he’s not just a hacker among many, as he is the son of Mike Kernell, chairman of the Tennessee House Government Operations Committee, a Democratic lawmaker.

His son faces a maximum sentence of five years in a state prison, three years of monitored release and a fine of a whopping $250,000. Upon being asked if anyone else was charged with hacking the Alaskan Governor’s e-mail account, the prosecutors didn’t make any comments. David Kernell’s trial will commence on December 16th. Mike Kernell was obviously questioned, taking into consideration his relation to the defendant and his political affiliation, but he firmly stated that he had nothing to do with his son’s actions, nor had he any knowledge of his intentions.

Given the severity of his crime, Sarah Palin’s position and the high confidentiality of her e-mails, David Kernell was brought to trial with both handcuffs and ankle shackles. He was released after his appearance in court, but is prone to imprisonment until the trial if he tries to make contact with Palin or her family and if he violates the other conditions imposed by the judge: owning a computer and using the Internet for any other purposes than checking his e-mail and doing his homework.