FORT PIERCE However Ryan Hester resolves charges of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide, he’ll be facing prosecutors from Palm Beach County, not the Treasure Coast, court records show.
That’s because Hester, 19, who is currently incarcerated, is the son of St. Lucie County Sheriff s Chief Deputy Brian Hester, who is running for sheriff in the 2024 election.
In papers filed May 19, Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a request by State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl to reassign Ryan Hester’s case outside the 19th Judicial Circuit, which includes Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Indian River counties.
In advising the governor’s office, Bakkedahl noted Brian Hester “has a close working relationship with the State Attorney’s Office and has also announced his candidacy for St. Lucie County sheriff.”
When hackers have struck police departments, cybersecurity experts say, they pose a particularly serious threat to public safety. They have been doing so with more frequency.
Ransomware Attack Threatens D.C. Police Officer Records
The cyber attack gained access to the department’s computer system that contained sensitive data about two dozen police officers, including social security numbers, fingerprints, birthdates, financial history and more.
May 17, 2021 • (TNS) A cybercriminal gang that breached the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department’s computer network in a ransomware attack published detailed information last week about nearly two dozen officers, including Social Security numbers and psychological assessments.
The group, Babuk, already had posted on the dark web lengthy dossiers of several officers. It claimed it stole more than 250 gigabytes of data late last month and is threatening to release more information as well as share files containing the names of confidential informants with criminal gangs if officials don’t pay a ransom.
Hackers threaten to release police records, knock 911 offline
A cybercriminal gang that breached the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department’s computer network in a ransomware attack published detailed information this week about nearly two dozen officers, including Social Security numbers and psychological assessments.
The group, Babuk, already had posted on the dark web lengthy dossiers of several officers. It claimed it stole more than 250 gigabytes of data late last month and is threatening to release more information as well as share files containing the names of confidential informants with criminal gangs if officials don’t pay a ransom.
The most recently posted documents contain sensitive information about 22 officers, such as fingerprints, dates of birth, polygraph test results and residential, financial and marriage history, according to NBC News. The hackers claim that they demanded $4 million in ransom and the department countered with $100,000, which the