TERRY CHILDS the infamous city computer engineer accused of creating a single password that locked all access to San Francisco's network, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of computer tampering. Childs is currently stuck behind bars on a tidy sum of $5 million bail.

Despite the seriousness of the accusation, defense attorney Erin Crane described the case as a big misunderstanding "blown out of proportion" by the media. According to Crane, the lockout posed no danger to the network, which stores critical items, including payroll, law enforcement and prison jail records.

Crane even had kind words for her client and noted that he was, "a very well-respected computer engineer," who was, "not the bad actor." Crane, she said, "is willing to cooperate... we have negotiations ongoing."

However, Ron Vinson, Chief administrative officer of the SF Technology Department, denied any knowledge of negotiations between Crane and the beleaguered city. µ