Report: Clerk Charged with Misconduct for Unlawfully Accessing Information on 'Joe the Plumber'

A records clerk in Ohio has reportedly come under fire for illegally accessing information on "Joe the Plumber" through a statewide database.

A records clerk in Ohio has been charged with gross misconduct after unlawfully using a state database to access information on the man famously known as "Joe the Plumber," the Toledo police department confirmed to FOXNews.com.

Julie McConnell, a long-time records clerk with the department's investigative services bureau, used the database -- called the Law Enforcement Automated Data System or LEADS -- to access information on Joe Wurzelbacher.

Wurzelbacher, a 34-year-old Ohio man looking to buy a plumbing business, rose to political fame after questioning Barack Obama on his "spreading the wealth" remarks during an Oct. 12 rally in Holland, Ohio. He has since become a symbol for John McCain's campaign, which says Obama proposes to raise taxes on small businesses.

McConnell allegedly used the LEADS database to confirm Wurzelbacher's address at the request of a local television reporter, Toledo police Chief Mike Navarre told FOXNews.com.

"You can't use that database unless it was for law enforcement purposes," Navarre said.

"If Wurzelbacher was a witness to a crime or a victim of a crime or a suspect to a crime and we needed to confirm his address, we could go in there to get it," he said.

An internal investigation into McConnell's activity was launched when the Toledo police received a phone call from the Ohio Highway Patrol, questioning why information on Wurzelbacher was accessed, Navarre said.

Similarly, a state agency director in Ohio has also come under under fire for reportedly authorizing a check on a state child-support computer system to determine if Wurzelbacher was up-to-date on any ordered child-support payments.

Navarre described McConnell as a "good employee," who has been with the department for 13 years.

"There was no ill intent here. There was no political purpose here. She was simply trying to do someone a favor," said Navarre, adding that the information McConnell provided was public record.

A disciplinary hearing is being scheduled for McConnell, who has not yet been found guilty.


"The level of discipline has not yet been determined yet," Navarre said.