Information leak in Pender leads to criminal probe
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The leak of confidential personnel information concerning a member of the Pender County Health Department has led county officials to ask the sheriff’s office to step in and conduct a criminal investigation.
Last Friday, a local television news station said it had “obtained the personnel file of Shirley Steele” and released information in that file.
The person who leaked the document is still unknown, but officials hope to soon find out who did.
“Releasing that information is illegal,” said County Manager Rick Benton, adding that he believes the disclosure broke both state law and the county’s Personnel and Administrative Policy.
Benton said the sheriff’s office is expected to bring appropriate criminal charges against whoever is responsible for the leak.
“It is regrettable that someone chose to commit a criminal act in an attempt to disrupt the operations of the Pender County Health Department and to disparage a dedicated career public health employee,” Benton said in a statement released Tuesday.
Documents in the leaked file contained information about an incident Steele was involved in last year while serving as the nursing supervisor before reassignment to her current position of bioterroism preparedness coordinator.
When a dental intern accidentally stuck herself while caring for a patient, according to Dr. Michelle Holmes, who was the health department dentist, Steele “did not try to find out anything about this person (student)” and suggested the student go to the emergency room for a rapid HIV test.
In a letter included in the file, Holmes said, “I had to ask three people to find the needle stick protocol for the health department. Neither the nursing supervisor or infectious control supervisor had this information the lab tech finally located it in which it does not state go to the ER.”
Steele was suspended for five days without pay and reassigned by former Health Director Jack Griffith, who in a letter in the file called Steele’s behavior during the incident “troublesome.” Griffith denied Steele’s appeal last August.
Benton said in the statement that evidence had ultimately been established that Steele followed the written policy for responding to Sharp’s incidents. The statement also said that Steele received back pay for her period of suspension.
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