Former East Greenwich firefighter pleads not guilty to computer trespassing charges

November 30, 2018 3:35 pm

By: Amanda Pitts

alpitts@abc6.com

@APittsABC6

EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WLNE) — Former East Greenwich Fire Lieutenant Robert Warner plead not guilty in Kent County Court Friday on two felony charges of computer trespassing.

Warner, who worked for over ten years as Communications Director, held the key to the town’s alarm network.

Town Manager Gayle Corrigan said over 100,000 files consisting of critical public safety data were allegedly erased by Warner.

She said the deletion of the files makes it harder for firefighters to respond to emergencies.

“An alarm’s going off, the fire department will not know that. So someone has to call 9-1-1 and there might be a delay in getting there,” said Corrigan.

That impacts public buildings like schools and senior living.

Corrigan said this past summer one of the town’s three circuits was down for two months. The town had to notify residents to call 911 directly, or else the fire department wouldn’t know to respond.

“He did a lot of work on this system and now it’s all gone. Frankly, it’s been a wakeup call for the town. We are victims. It is a crime, and every single resident of that town is a victim of that crime.”

Warner was released on $5,000 personal recognizance. He’s due back in court on December 18th.