SIOUX FALLS - A former fire official in southeast South Dakota has admitted to unlawfully accessing the fire chief's email account.
Forty-seven-year-old Patrick Warren on Tuesday pleaded guilty in Sioux Falls to unlawful use of a computer. As part of a plea agreement, authorities dropped 14 other counts against the former Sioux Falls Fire Rescue division chief.
Prosecutors say Warren between Jan. 5 and May 5 accessed internal fire department documents and other records he wasn't authorized to see.
Police Chief Doug Barthel has said Warren's plans for the information aren't clear, but "it was probably for his own personal benefit," and not for a criminal purpose.
Warren faces up to 60 days in jail and up to a $4,000 fine. He was one of three division chiefs when he resigned in mid-May.
