BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) — A former Benton County deputy pleaded guilty on Thursday (May 25) to using a database that can only be accessed by current law enforcement officers for his private business.
Robert Hendrix, 42, was sentenced to six years probation and 120 hours of community service that must be completed in three years.
Hendrix was arrested in June 2016 after he was accused of using Justice Exchange, which is a database linked with ACIC/NCIC, that stores sensitive information like driver’s license information and photos, date of birth, social security number, address and criminal history, according to his probable cause affidavit.
The database requires law enforcement credentials to obtain an account and the information stored on Justice Exchange cannot be released to the general public or used in a non-law enforcement capacity.
Hendrix had been using the credentials he once had as a deputy with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office to regularly access Justice Exchange for his company called One Twin Legal Service, LLC, the affidavit states. According to the company’s Facebook page, One Twin Legal Service offers process serving and private investigation services.
Records showed Hendrix had been terminated from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office in December 2014, but his Justice Exchange account and email had not been deactivated by IT, according to the affidavit.
According to ACIC records, Hendrix had used his law enforcement account 246 times to access personal information and investigators were told he had been charging his clients $100 to search Justice Exchange records, the affidavit states.
