Atlas Twp.-A township official asked the board for $600 in restitution after a computer hard drive was allegedly removed prior to the supervisor taking office on Nov. 20.
Shirley Kautman-Jones, township supervisor, presented the issue during the board of trustees meeting on Monday night.
‘On my first day in office, the ‘IT? (information technology) person arrived to set up my computer and discovered the original hard drive had been removed from the computer. A new, generic, unformatted hard drive had been put into the computer. It was not even the right one,? said Kautman-Jones.
‘I surmised who removed it and they returned the old hard drive a few hours later. More than one individual was involved.?
Kautman-Jones contacted Township Attorney David Lattie and reported the incident. She added that it took more than five hours to repair, producing the $600 price tag for the township.
Township Trustee Scott Statson said he replaced the hard drive on Kautman-Jones’s computer after former township supervisor Paul Amman asked that his personal data was removed prior to leaving office in November.
‘My intention was to protect the township server,? said Statson. ‘So I purchased a new hard drive and plugged it into the computer before Shirley took office. She later called and I returned the old hard drive’none of the information was sensitive data. It was nothing more than a switch of the hard drive with a new one.?
‘In Amman’s attempt to erase his personal data I did not want him to damage the server.?
Lattie said he was aware of the switch.
‘The information provided regarding the removal of the hard drive did not rise to the level of probable cause that a criminal act had taken place,? said Lattie.
‘Atlas Township does not have a computer policy,? he said. ‘All the township documents that are statutorily required are in the possession of the township clerk, not in the supervisor’s computer.?
Lattie said from a criminal perspective, it’s a matter of a township employee replacing nonessential township data such as e-mail ‘chit-chat.?
Lattie added that seeking restitution for the township requires board approval. On Tuesday night, the board did not support the request for restitution and tabled the matter until a future meeting.
Township Clerk Tere Onica suggested the issue be discussed during the next computer policy workshop meeting.
‘The switch was done when others were in the office, and not covertly,? said Statson.
The township is currently working to establish computer policy for all employees.