A former female Wildwood police officer has escaped serious penalty after breaking into a male colleague’s email last year.
Christine Reynolds, 48, of Summerfield, on Tuesday in Sumter County Court entered into a pre-trial intervention contract that will enable her to avoid prosecution on a charge of unlawful computer access. She will have to surrender her law enforcement certificate, may not possess a gun and cannot consume excessive amounts of alcohol during the 12 months during which the pre-trial intervention contract is in force. She will also have to pay $150 for the cost of prosecution.
Reynolds had been arrested Oct. 7 at the Wildwood Police Department following an investigation by the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
FDLE began its investigation in May at the request of the Wildwood Police Department. Investigators found that Reynolds accessed the police department’s internal systems and emails using the credentials of another officer. Reynolds allegedly downloaded and disseminated emails from the account of Lt. John Walker without permission.
In 2019, Reynolds had been presented with the Wildwood Police Department’s TEAM Impact Award. The award recognized “the outstanding service, commitment and community partnerships provided by the employees of Wildwood PD to the city’s residents and visitors.” She received the award at a Wildwood Commission meeting.