From Winnebago County, Illinois: war-driving can get you in jail; or at least fined. Very much like the person who got fined $250 for using an unsecured wireless hotspot.  According to the prosecution, "our residents need to know that it is a crime, punishable by up to a year in jail, to access someone else’s computer, wireless system or Internet connection without that person’s approval."

Kauchak, the freeloader, was arrested in January in a park when local law enforcement caught him in the early hours of the night when he was sitting in a car with a computer. The Rockport Register Star story does not provide many details, but it is interesting to understand how the police officer actually understood that Kauchak was using someone else’s Internet connection. Also, the article does not indicate whether which statute was violated, but presumably it would be the 720 ILCS 5/16F-3 (aka Illinois Wireless Service Theft Prevention Act) which makes it a Class 4 felony offense if wireless service with value of more than $300 has been obtained unlawfully without the consent of the wireless service provider.

Theft of Wireless Service Statutes

Many similar statutes are passed by other states (e.g. Pennsylvania)- in many cases to protect parties who run wireless access points for their private use but are unable to secure them properly, in other cases the driver behind the statute is protection of large Internet service providers who want to ensure that everybody pays their own DSL bill instead of stealing or providing Internet for free.

Update, May 23, 2007: another similar case - this one is from Michigan.