ACCOMAC -- Accomack residents who may have had personal information compromised when a government-owned laptop computer was stolen Oct. 7 should receive official notice from the county this week. "The notice is being provided by Accomack County as quickly as possible following the theft, given the totality of the circumstances," said county attorney Mark Taylor in an e-mail.
County Administrator Steve Miner said as many as 35,000 names and Social Security numbers, and some resident addresses, were on a computer stolen from a Las Vegas hotel room.
The computer had been taken there by county employee Joshua Taylor on a personal vacation; Miner said it was taken there without permission.
The letter states that the county has no proof that the recipient's personal information has been accessed "by any unauthorized person." It asks recipients to review account statements and monitor credit reports by providing websites and phone numbers.
It asks recipients to call the county office if they feel personal information has been accessed or misused.
It also suggests a change in how county computers are used "by ensuring that no other computers are permitted to leave county facilities containing such data."
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Marcus Martin said Taylor reported missing a Dell laptop valued at $1,300 and a backpack.
Taylor resigned shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to a news release issued by the county.
The theft took place at the Mandalay Bay Hotel Casino. He said there are two periods of time in which the electronically monitored room lock wasn't fully latched.
"Who did that is still up for the detective to determine," Martin said. "Was it a maid? Was it engineered? Was it the visitor's carelessness? We can't say."
While the county waited seven days before notifying the media of the computer's theft, Miner said last week that the county had to determine what exactly was on the laptop.
"Any suggestion that Accomack County has 'waited' to take action is simply wrong," said Mark Taylor, county attorney. "Responding to this computer theft has been the county staff's top priority since the theft was reported."
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