NELSONVILLE — A Nelsonville woman has been charged with unauthorized access to police records while serving as the city’s police and mayor’s clerk.
Jessica A. Mount faces two fifth-degree felony charges of unauthorized use of the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway for incidents that occurred on May 31, 2022, and June 9, 2022, according to court records.
According to Athens County Court of Common Pleas documents, during both occasions Mount “did knowingly gain access to, attempt to gain access to, cause access to be grants to, or disseminate information gained” by accessing the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway in a way that was either beyond the scope of her job description or without the consent of the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification.
The incidents occurred while she was at Nelsonville City Hall, 211 Lake Hope Drive.
The Athens County Grand Jury indicted Mount on the charges in September 2022. Fifth-degree felonies are the least severe and require between 6 and 12 months of imprisonment, and up to a $2,500 fine, according to Ohio Revised Code. The court may impose an additional five years of community control.
Judge Patrick Lang ordered Athens County Prosecutor’s Office to only allow counsel in the case, as well as those named in the report, access to the police reports Mount allegedly illegally accessed.
Steven Larson, assistant public defender, represents Mount.
The confidential records are to be destroyed 30 days after the judgement in the case is filed, the order also said.
A final pretrail hearing is schedule for 11 a.m. Feb. 11 in Common Pleas Court.
Mount also is a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by former council member Greg Smith against the city of Nelsonville and several current and former city officials. The suit asks that the city produce police documents related to incidents that occurred in 2020.
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