By Sarah Richardson
Greenbrier County Commissioner Mike McClung pled not guilty to three misdemeanor charges during a Raleigh County Circuit Court hearing earlier this week. McClung was charged with unauthorized access to computer services, unauthorized possession of computer data, and unauthorized possession of computer information stemming from an incident that occurred at the Greenbrier Valley Airport on Aug. 23, 2019.
McClung allegedly removed an external hard drive and other items without permission from an office at the airport belonging to former Airport Director Stephen Snyder, which staff members discovered after reviewing security tapes.
A document filed on Jan. 22 by Special Prosecuting Attorney Brian Parson states, “Michael McClung did knowingly, willfully and without authorization, directly or indirectly, access or caused to be accessed a computer or computer network belonging to Greenbrier Valley Airport with the intent to obtain computer services by physically removing a computer hard drive from the Greenbrier Valley Airport and later making duplicates of the aforesaid hard drive.”
McClung later admitted to entering the airport and taking the hard drive and copying its contents, but he denied viewing any of the information.
A trial is scheduled for Mar. 1, 2022.