KNOXVILLE (WVLT) -- The federal government is pursuing their investigation into the University of Tennessee student accused of hacking into the personal Yahoo! email account of Alaskan Governor and Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Witnesses said agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched David Kernell’s apartment on Saturday around midnight.
"He is a good guy,” said Ashley Menner, who has been Kernell’s neighbor since classes began in August. “He seems like a really nice guy and I’ve talked to him a few times."
Menner was nearby when the FBI searched Kernell’s Fort Sanders Apartment, and had seen the accused hacker in passing a few times since the raid.
“He seemed rattled and shaken,” said Menner. “I would be too and he obviously knows what he did was wrong."
According to witnesses, the raid came while several neighbors were partying after the University of Tennessee verse Florida football game
“This black SUV came up, and all these guys got out with equipment and they had a big black bag with high tech stuff in it,” said Jarrett Mooneyham, who was at the apartment. “It was just a big ordeal and everybody was drunk, so it was really chaotic."
Mooneyham said the agents were looking for Kernell, but never found him because he was hiding out on the second floor of the complex with some of his friends.
"Everybody thinks it's funny, and we are all kind of laughing about it," he said.
The justice department confirmed that there was a search late Saturday night, but they would not reveal what property was seized.
They also said that no public documents were filed in relation to the case.
"I don't think there was any malicious intent behind what he did,” said Menner, “I just think that he wasn't thinking"
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