A former Wrightsville Beach police officer has been arrested and charged with misuse of an automated license plate reader system by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Former officer Tonya Baker has been indicted on one count of misuse of an automated license plate reader system by a New Hanover County grand jury, according to a State Bureau of Investigation news release. Baker was arrested Sept. 9 and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 12, the news release said.
The State Bureau of Investigation said it was asked by the Wrightsville Beach police chief and the New Hanover County district attorney to investigate possible misuse of the system by an employee on July 16.
The Wrightsville Beach Police Department had said in an earlier
news release that an investigation found an officer no longer employed with the department had misused the town’s Flock Safety database.
Wrightsville Beach police “identified a discrepancy involving a police officer with access to the Flock Safety system,” the police department said. The department opened an internal investigation and notified the State Bureau of Investigation and the district attorney’s office to determine whether any policies had been violated.
The Wrightsville Beach police news release said “appropriate administrative action was taken in response to the matter,” but did not specify whether the officer was fired or resigned.
Wrightsville Beach police began using Flock cameras in March. An early audit was conducted to ensure that the system was being used appropriately in accordance with state law and town policy, the police department said.
While employed as a Wrightsville Beach police officer, Baker obtained and accessed information on two North Carolina registration tags without a legitimate law enforcement purpose, according to the true bill of indictment. The offense ranged from Feb. 10 to May 12.
Wrightsville Beach Police Chief Jason Bishop said in his department’s news release, “Our actions are guided by the core values of honor, integrity, courage, and service, while promoting transparency as we protect and serve our community.”
The investigation is ongoing, the State Bureau of Investigation said.
Bob Liepa is the city of Wilmington and public safety reporter for the StarNews. You can reach him at RLiepa@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Former Wrightsville Beach officer charged with misuse of Flock cameras
