[ISN] Ex-employee alleged to have deleted township files

[InfoSec News]

http://www.starbeacon.com/?MC=NEWS&NID=1&AID=9477

By MARGIE TRAX PAGE
Staff Writer
mtrax @ starbeacon.com
10/30/2005

MADISON TOWNSHIP - The Madison Township Zoning Office is reeling after
what Madison Township Police Chief Jerry Jenkins called "a malicious
act by a township employee."

Trustees confirmed a former assistant in the clerk-treasurer's office
was the employee who allegedly entered Madison Township zoning
inspector Valerie Leitch's office in July and purposely deleted
programs and files from a township computer.

Now considered an uncharged suspect in the case, the employee has
resigned the position in the township office, without a reprimand.

"This is not an employee of the trustees; this was an employee of the
clerk-treasurer. And it would have been up to (Linda Blankenship) to
reprimand her or fire (the employee)," Trustee Paul Brunner said. Link
to: True North Auto Group

In her written statement given to the police July 21, the employee
wrote: "I am so sorry for what I did. I have had so many issues going
on in my life that I am so stressed out - not to mention the egos and
the tension that exists on the administrative side of Madison
Township."

The employee went on to say she erased five years of zoning files
because Leitch "has never taken care of her computer system. She has
had numerous virus(es). No matter what, apparently, she doesn't feel
the need to update and back up her system."

As a way to punish Leitch, the employee decided to delete the files
herself, police reports show.

Leitch said she was backing up her computer files as she was shown by
the computer technician, but the system was not maintaining the files
for an unknown reason.

"Though five years' worth of files were lost, four years were
recovered, and the fifth year was backed up with paper files and will
need only to be re-entered into the computer database, Jenkins said.

Advey, Leitch, Brunner and Jenkins all said they are not sure whether
an audit of the employee's files will be ordered, as that would be the
decision of the clerk-treasurer. The employee's duties included the
management of payroll accounts, including her own payroll, and
accounts payable, according to her job description.