A Morehead State University employee pleaded not guilty to charges related to electronic communication and privacy in Rowan District Court Monday.
39-year-old Crystal Barnett of Morehead is a dispatcher with the MSU police department and has worked with the organization since 2019.
Barnett has been charged with 4th degree unlawful access to a computer, tampering with private communication, and divulging illegally obtained information, which are all misdemeanors.
According to the citation, Barnett accessed the victim’s private messages on Facebook between October and December of 2021. Barnett allegedly shared screen shots of more than 50 messages with others. The incidents took place at the Morehead State University Police Departments Dispatch Center.
If convicted, Barnett will face up to 27 months in prison and $12-hundred dollars in fines.
Through her attorney, Barnett waived formal arraignment on the charges and asked for discovery and that a status conference be set. The judge set the conference for May 9th at 10:30 am.