A former Arkansas law enforcement official has pleaded guilty to accessing a crime database for personal use nearly 250 times after he was fired.
Robert Michael Hendrix, 43, of Centerton entered the plea Thursday on charges of release or disclosure to an unauthorized person and tampering, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Court documents show that Hendrix was placed on six years of supervised probation and must serve 120 hours of community service within three years.
Hendrix, who was fired from the Benton County sheriff’s office, was arrested in June 2016 after authorities were tipped off about unauthorized use of law enforcement data. He was also previously an officer with the Springdale Police Department.
The newspaper reported that Hendrix, owner of One Twin Legal Services, was charging $100 to check a person’s background through a service called Justice Exchange.
Hendrix had accessed data 246 times, according to an affidavit that referenced a spreadsheet from the Arkansas Crime Information Center.
Justice Exchange serves as a database linked with the state Crime Information Center and National Crime Information Center, according to court documents cited by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The Fayetteville Police Department notified the Benton County sheriff’s office that Hendrix was using a sheriff’s office account to gain access to the data.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
