TENNESSEE (UPDATE) VOTER DATA LAPTOP COMPUTER STOLEN WAS UNDER DESK OF HIGH-PROFILE EMPLOYEE Voter data laptop was under desk of high-profile employee - Nashville, Tennessee - Wednesday, 01/02/08 - Tennessean.com

Wednesday, 01/02/08

Voter data laptop was under desk of high-profile employee

One of the two data-rich laptop computers stolen from the Davidson County Election Commission office was taken from under the desk of a controversial employee who was fired and reinstated in 2003.

The laptop, which contained Social Security numbers of 337,000 Metro voters, had been under the desk of Kathy Charlton-Deshotels, said Ray Barrett, the county election administrator. Barrett said earlier this week that the computer was left unsecured because it was being repaired. It and the other laptop were stolen Dec. 22 or Dec. 23, Metro police believe.

In 2003, Charlton-Deshotels downloaded a Republican employee's computer files and found partisan comments at the request of Democratic election commissioner Eddie Bryan, who is now the commission's chairman. Bryan said the Republican employee was using city computers for partisan political activity.

Charlton-Deshotels was fired that December but was reinstated under the settlement of a federal lawsuit she filed to get her technology manager job back.

Lynn Greer, a Republican member of the election commission, said today that Charlton-Deshotels should be fired.

"If they are doing an investigation, why is she not taking responsibility for this?" Greer said. "This is the same employee we had so many problems with four years ago. ... This is not the first incident. She is absolutely incompetent."

Barrett said he was surprised to hear of Greer's statement and that "nothing is going on at this time" to discipline the employee.

George Barrett, an attorney for Charlton-Deshotels, declined to comment. He is not related to Ray Barrett.