The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General has charged Schuylkill Township Police Officer Jason Lex for alleged misuse of the Pennsylvania Justice Network (JNET) computer system.
Lex was arraigned before District Magistrate David Plachko on Thursday morning and released on $25,000 unsecured bail.
The AG’s office is charging Lex with 2 third-degree felony counts of unlawful use of a computer and a misdemeanor count of “official oppression.”
Schuylkill County Cop Arraigned on Charges Brought by PA Attorney General
The investigation, initiated by Schuylkill Township Police Chief Frank DiMarco, revealed activities dating back to May 17, 2023.
On the night in question, Officer Lex, wearing his police uniform, reportedly appeared at the residence of the new boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend. This alleged visit, not part of official police business, raised suspicions about how Lex obtained the new boyfriend’s address.
A subsequent probe by Minersville Police Officer Timothy Walsh and Schuylkill County Communications Center revealed that Lex allegedly accessed JNET to search for the new boyfriend’s address. The JNET audit report confirmed Lex’s queries about the new boyfriend and a friend of Lex’s ex-girlfriend, without any professional justification, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
During various interviews conducted by Pennsylvania AG Special Agents Philip Holbrook and Ralph Zezza, multiple facets of the case were brought to light.
DiMarco confirmed that Lex had no police-related reasons to contact the new boyfriend or the ex’s friend. The ex-girlfriend detailed her relationship with Lex, including his attempts to reconcile and unexpected appearance at the new boyfriend’s residence.
The new boyfriend corroborated these events, saying he was unaware of how Lex discovered his address. He also denied any involvement with Schuylkill Township Police or Lex around that time.
In his interview, Lex admitted to using JNET for personal reasons, specifically to locate his ex and her car, which they co-owned, under the pretext of needing a car part. He acknowledged his understanding of JNET’s permissible uses and regretted his actions to investigators, an affidavit notes.
During Thursday’s arraignment, Lex told Plachko that he and his then-ex are currently living together and that he is a friend of his then-ex’s friend named in the investigation report.
Plachko called that a “sticky situation” but simply ordered Lex not to have any “unlawful contact” with either his then-ex and the other witnesses named in the investigation.
Lex is still employed as a police officer in Schuylkill Township.
A Preliminary Hearing on these charges is scheduled for Dec. 19.
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Val
December 7, 2023 at 7:39 pm
A “sticky situation” is when Schuylkill police is trying to locate a child abuser for more than 6 months, instead of using JNET. The one described is a “love hurts” situation.