In early 2022, the commissioner had trouble with his cell phone and had asked the county’s IT department to help retrieve the data so that he could preserve the information considered to be public records. Someone stole the data off the county’s server and gave it Owens, who then passed it on to attorneys suing the county, the once-daily newspapers and others. Owens has told the media the information was given to him anonymously.
Inweekly asked Bergosh had he or anyone questioned former IT director Bart Sider about how the data could have been downloaded undetected off the servers under his supervision. Sider resigned in August 2022. This past summer, the county ask the FBI to investigate the matter.
“I believe (Sider) has been spoken with by the agents looking into this,” Bergosh said. “I personally spoke with him. I was very disappointed. I’ve known him for 20 years. He and I coached together, our kids play ball together. He told me unequivocally that he had no idea how it happened. I’d like to be a guy that takes him at his word.”
The commissioner continued, “My understanding is when he was approached by law enforcement, he got a lawyer. So I don’t know what to think, and I don’t think a lot of us will know what to think until we are able to read the report, which is classified confidential right now until the U.S. attorney gets done looking at it and makes his determination whether or not he was enough to prosecute.”
Real News On the Road
Quint Studer and Alicja Donlon, Bodacious Olive Manager, Isabel Miller, Bodacious Events Director and Melissa Smith, Bodacious Bookstore Manager.
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