A former Scott County Health Department employee has been arraigned on charges of computer tampering and theft between $500 and $10,000.
35 year old Deidre S. Kirchner of Roodhouse was arraigned on the charges in Scott County Court on Thursday, June 17th. Kirchner is the former Office Manager at the Scott County Health Department. According to employment records, Kirchner worked with the Health Department from January to December of last year.
Kirchner had a warrant issued for her arrest on the charges on May 3rd, with the warrant having been serviced by the Scott County Sheriff’s Department on May 17th.
According to court documents, the Scott County Treasurer’s Department and the Farmer’s State Bank branch in Winchester noticed some alleged irregularities in the deposit of checks for the health department. The Scott County Health Department also allegedly discovered unauthorized access and alteration of a computer network and program, which allegedly had data deleted or changed.
The computer tampering charge is a Class 4 felony that can carry a 1-3 year prison sentence and up to a $25,000 fine.
The theft charge is a Class 3 felony that can carry a 2-5 year prison term and fines up to $25,000.
Kirchner is next due in court on September 7th for a pre-trial hearing.