Web site tampering felony charge filed, Mount Desert Islander

Bar Harbor - A local woman has been charged in connection with vandalism to a local running club's Web site.

After an investigation into a complaint by Eden Athletics regarding the deletion of thousands of items from its Web site, Bar Harbor police summonsed Mary Ropp, 23, of Bar Harbor on Feb. 21 on a charge of aggravated criminal invasion of computer privacy, a class C felony. Conviction on a class C offense can result in a sentence of up to five years in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

Ms. Ropp, a College of the Atlantic (COA) student and member of another local running club, Crow Athletics, is the assistant director of the Mount Desert Island Marathon, a Crow Athletics event. She could not be reached for comment.

According to Officer Shaun Farrar, Ms. Ropp had previous administrative access to the Eden Athletics Web site. "It was a technical problem that Eden Athletics should have taken care of," he said. "She had access but no right to delete content."

When Ms. Ropp was taken in for questioning she confessed, a police department spokesperson said. Police believe the damage was done from Ms. Ropp's personal computer and through an account she had at COA.

Brian Hubbell, Web editor for Eden Athletics, reported that the organization's site had been hacked into and files had been deleted on Feb. 16. "We were lucky that Brian caught on when he did," said Christine Ganz, president of Eden Athletics.

The charges come amidst long-running antagonism between the two organizations. Gary Allen, the founder of Crow Athletics, maintains that Mr. Hubbell started Eden Athletics as a splinter group after a falling out with Crow Athletics. Both sides have been complaining about the other ever since, although many local runners belong to both organizations.

And, it appears the computer problems are not finished.

In a related incident, the Eden Athletics Web site domain name recently was usurped from the organization's control, said Ms. Ganz. The organization has been able to restore almost all of its Web site files, but had problems reclaiming its original location at EdenAthletics.com.

"We have gone through a not-overly-friendly period," said Mr. Allen. "But this is about one group constantly making allegations that we are somehow bad. We are putting on events that are healthy and we encourage them to participate."

Eden Athletics has been the victim of Internet hijinks before now. When it first separated from Crow Athletics, and through last summer, people trying to access the Eden Athletics Web address were directed to a spoof Web page claiming that the organization was a Christian running club.

"It has always been the position of Eden Athletics officers to maintain a high road in the face of previous maliciousness, and it is my hope that we can continue this spirit," said Ms. Ganz.