Crime & Courts

Troopers: Ex-state employee took personal data in burglaries

A series of burglaries last year at the Alaska Department of Public Safety's headquarters, allegedly committed by a former employee, may have compromised the personal data of about 1,000 people.

Alaska State Troopers said the information emerged during further investigation of December break-ins at the building on East Tudor Road in Anchorage, during which a total of $534 in cash and checks were taken.

Former DPS office assistant MarieKimberly Ramos, 22, and her boyfriend Jeremiah Ranem, 32, were arrested in the case Dec. 30 on charges of burglary, theft and criminal mischief. Investigators said last month the two used Ramos' access card on nights and weekends in December to enter the building, at one point kicking open a locked office door to take $15 from a cash box.

"(I)t was discovered that approximately 1,020 people were identified as potentially having some of their personal information compromised," troopers wrote in a Thursday dispatch. "This prompted the DPS to notify these individuals so that they can take appropriate steps to minimize their risk of becoming a victim of identity theft."

Investigators' searches of Ramos' property revealed that she removed records from the building, including some concerning "a number of individuals" who completed transactions with the department between Feb. 4 and Dec. 30 last year, troopers said. Some of the removed records contained Social Security numbers.

"At this time, DPS has no evidence to suggest there has been any misuse of this information," troopers wrote. "However, individuals are encouraged to take precautions to guard against the misuse of personal information that could result in identity theft."

Troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain said in an email Friday that everyone affected by the records' removal had been contacted. The documents in question were mainly applications for and results from background checks conducted by the state.

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"These were primarily individuals seeking employment, adoptions, or licensing with entities that require criminal history record background checks," DeSpain wrote.

DeSpain declined to discuss why Ramos would have taken the documents. Whether she or Ranem would face additional charges linked to doing so was "part of the ongoing investigation," he wrote.

Troopers said anyone who was notified by DPS about the removed records or sent personal information to the department last year, and "has questions pertaining to a submitted background check or whether or not their data was part of the thefts," can call the state Criminal Records and Identification Bureau at 907-269-5634.

Chris Klint

Chris Klint is a former ADN reporter who covered breaking news.

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