iPhone, PS3 hacker Geohot arrested

22-year-old hacker George Hotz, also known as geohot, has been arrested for possession of marijuana. He was traveling by car with friends on his way to the SXSW conference in Austin to give a talk titled "The Final Frontier of Reverse Engineering" when he had to stop at a border patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas. Department of Homeland Security officers were using dogs to decide if a vehicle warranted a search, and Hotz's car was barked at.

Hotz reportedly holds a medical marijuana license in California, where he lives. In the glove box of his car he kept 1/4 oz. of marijuana and "chocolate edibles" equivalent to less than 1/8 oz., according to a source familiar with the case cited by Above the Law. Such a small amount of the drug typically only warrants a citation, but the local sheriff reportedly took the whole weight of the chocolate and valued it at $800, instead of the $15 Hotz allegedly paid for it.

Hotz was booked for a felony and posted $1,500 bail. He has not (yet?) commented on the matter, though if he is really upset he could attempt to get the felony charge reversed as well as the bail refunded.

Hotz is known for unlocking the iPhone, as well as hacking the PlayStation 3 and subsequently being sued by Sony. Back in June 2011, multiple sources started talking about how Hotz works at Facebook. This was quickly followed by a post from Hotz himself, and then a Facebook spokesperson confirmed the news to me, although a full statement was not given. His employment didn't last long: details are scarce, but we do know Hotz doesn't work at Facebook anymore.

See also:

• iPhone, PS3 hacker Geohot no longer works for Facebook
• Geohot reportedly now works for Facebook (update: Facebook confirms)
• Sony implicates 'Anonymous' in PlayStation Network attack
• PlayStation Network 'exploit' discovered: Sony, get your act together
• Crackers claim iPhone 3G hack
• Sony's "fictional" VP retweets PS3 jailbreak code