SAN FRANCISCO – An unusual jailhouse visit by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom yielded the access codes to the city's computer network.

City engineer Terry Childs had been accused of withholding the access codes and has been jailed since July 13 on felony counts. Prosecutors said he was trying to block access to a vital city network.

Childs' lawyer contacted the mayor's office and invited Newsom to visit his client. The mayor paid a secret visit to the jail Monday and walked away with the codes.

The lawyer says Childs had been the victim of a plot to force him out of his job.

Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, www.sfgate.com