Chelan County Assistant Prosecutor Under Investigation for Alleged Misuse of Law Enforcement Database
The Washington State Patrol is investigating assistant prosecutor Micaela Meadows for allegedly illegal use of the county's Spillman System
The Washington State Patrol and Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison confirmed this week that Chelan County Assistant Prosecutor Micaela Meadows is under investigation by WSP for alleged misuse of the county’s Spillman law enforcement database.
Commonly referred to as simply “Spillman” by law enforcement officers and officers of the court, the system contains electronic records of every official interaction a citizen has with a member of the law enforcement community. Whether you are reporting a crime, getting stopped in traffic or being investigated for a more serious crime, information like your address, phone number, driver’s license number, vehicle license and registration information is entered into that system. Even citizens who haven’t committed crimes have personal information in the system.
So access to Spillman is closely-guarded and anyone who has it must undergo annual training on properly using the system, said Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison.
“Each one of us has to do yearly access training, agency-wide,” he said. “Including me.”
So last fall when Wenatchee attorney Brandon Redal went to Morrison with proof that Meadows had been accessing the system in ways that might violate the strict boundaries those with access are subject to, Morrison contacted the Washington State Patrol to step in and investigate.
“I certainly think it is an abuse of her access and thereby her authority,” Redal said.