GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County judge declared a mistrial after a jury could not come to any agreements on charges facing another Gwinnett County judge, Kathryn Schrader.
The case originally stemmed from Schrader suspecting she was being hacked - by Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter.
So she hired a private investigative firm to hack back, so to speak. Ultimately, she and three others - including the Dragon Con co-founder Ed Kramer, who was employed by the firm and worked on this matter - were accused of illegally accessing the Gwinnett County Justice Center computer network last February.
During the trial Schrader admitted that, on her own, she hired the private investigators to install equipment on her work computer to access the county's secure server and find out if someone inside the courthouse had hacked into her account.
RELATED: 'I no longer trusted anybody in this building': Gwinnett judge defends questionable computer use
She told the jury she had no choice but to hire the private eyes and investigate what she believed was an illegal computer breach on her own.
"Since I wasn't getting any answers to any of these problems, I no longer trusted anybody in this building," she said. "I was the one that authorized all of this."
In October, she was suspended by the Judicial Qualifications Commission, who fund her ability to do her job had been compromised by the case.
Schrader also told prosecutors she planned to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into her suspicions, but wanted solid proof first.
"In fact, you told Agent Loo that you'd have to face the consequences," the prosecutor said.
"I will absolutely," Schrader said. "And have been facing the consequences, sir."
Porter, who also testified in the case, said he never hacked the judge's computer.
Three people on the private investigative team cut deals to avoid trial in exchange for testifying, which they also did.
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