BENTONVILLE — A former Benton County sheriff’s deputy and Springdale police officer was arrested Tuesday in connection with accusations that he misused the Arkansas Crime Information Center for monetary gain.
Robert Michael Hendrix, 42, of Centerton was released Wednesday morning on citation from the Benton County Jail. He was arrested in connection with release or disclosure to an unauthorized person, a Class D felony.
According to a probable cause affidavit, ACIC provided a spreadsheet showing Hendrix had used his law enforcement account 246 times to access personal information. Investigators learned that Hendrix was charging his clients $100 to run people on ACIC through a service called Justice Exchange, according to the affidavit.
Hendrix is not employed as a law enforcement officer and has a company, One Twin Legal Services, which offers process serving and private investigations, the affidavit states.
David Undiano, a detective with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, was assigned the case concerning a complaint that Hendrix was using Justice Exchange, which is a law enforcement database linked with the ACIC and the National Crime Information Center.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the database requires law enforcement credentials to obtain and use an account because sensitive information can be gathered on individuals.
Information obtained from Justice Exchange can be vital to an investigation, but cannot be released to the general public or used for anything besides law enforcement, according to the affidavit.
Hendrix worked with the Springdale Police Department and was employed with the sheriff’s office until he was terminated, according to the affidavit.
The Sheriff’s Office was notified by Fayetteville police that Hendrix was using a sheriff’s office Justice Exchange account and sheriff’s office email address to gain access to the databases, according to the affidavit.
It was determined that Hendrix’s Justice Exchange Account remained active and his email account was not deactivated after his termination, the affidavit states.
Hendrix admitted to using a computer and his cellphone to access Justice Exchange, the affidavit states. Detectives seized Hendrix’s computer, according to court documents.
Hendrix’s arraignment is scheduled for 8 a.m. July 18 in Circuit Judge Robin Green’s court.
Prosecutors have not filed a formal charge against Hendrix.