South Carolina

Ex 911 operator arrested for leaking information to motorcycle club in SC, cops say

A woman who worked as a 911 operator was arrested for leaking confidential information to an Upstate motorcycle club, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said.

Leslie Renee Stanford, formerly a Cherokee County E911 operator, was charged with public official use or disclosure of confidential information, unlawfully examine public records for gain, according to SLED.

The 31-year-old Gaffney resident willfully accessed information from the National Crime Information Center and gave it to members of the Black Jacks Motorcycle Club, according to an arrest warrant.

The NCIC is a computerized index that includes criminal record history information, and data on fugitives, stolen properties, missing persons, according to the FBI. The purpose of the crime database is to make information from across the country about crimes and criminals readily available to all participating law enforcement agencies.

All records in NCIC are supposed to be protected from unauthorized access, according to the FBI. But the safeguards in place would not prevent someone who has access from searching the site.

Stanford gave information from the NCIC to members of the motorcycle club from May 2 through Nov. 5, 2021, SLED said.

There was no word why the motorcycle club wanted the crime information, or what, if anything, it did with it.

The South Carolina chapter of the Black Jacks Motorcycle Club is located in Cowpens.

On March 18, Stanford was booked at the Cherokee County Detention Center, according to SLED. She was released on a $5,000 surety bond the same day, Cherokee County court records show.

Information about when Stanford left her job as an emergency 911 operator, and if she was fired, was not available.

The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

If convicted on the charge, Stanford faces a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.

BEHIND THE STORY

MORE

This is a breaking news story

In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.

This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Ex 911 operator arrested for leaking information to motorcycle club in SC, cops say."

Noah Feit
The State
Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER