Mother of former Schenectady cop, John Lewis, arrested on computer trespassing charges
By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer Last updated: 6:45 p.m., Friday, July 16, 2010
SCHENECTADY -- The mother of ex-Schenectady cop John Lewis has been charged with using her work computer as a state parks police dispatcher to search out information about people involved with her son's criminal cases, according to authorities.
Frances Lewis, a communications technician at Saratoga Spa State Park, was arrested this afternoon and charged with one count of felony computer trespassing, according to Dan Keefe, a spokesman with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He said the 62-year-old Lewis had been the subject of an internal investigation for the past several weeks. She was suspended without pay on July 8, Keefe added. Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy said today that Frances Lewis is accused of using State Park Police computers to access records about matters not related to police work.
"We believe she has made more than just one entry," he said, adding that the crime is punishable by up to four years in prison per entry.
Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney said Frances Lewis is charged with using the computer "to find information about people connected to some of her son's cases." It's unclear if she may have been running background checks or license plates.
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