MEDFORD, Ore. — A former police lieutenant who led the Southern Oregon High-Tech Crimes Task Force has been charged with official misconduct and computer crime.
Josh Moulin was arraigned Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court.
A felony charge outlined in the indictment alleges Moulin altered, damaged or destroyed a computer or software, while the misdemeanor charge alleges that he knowingly used, accessed or attempted to access a computer, software or data on a system.
The official misconduct charge alleges Moulin illegally used his position as a public servant while committing the crimes, according to the indictment.
Moulin said he’s innocent. He told the Mail Tribune newspaper that he believes the charges stem from the way he returned a Central Point Police Department-issued laptop computer after he was placed on paid administrative leave two years ago.
He declined to be more specific, saying his legal team must first review state evidence.
“We were surprised to see the case still moving forward,” Moulin said.
A grand jury secretly indicted Moulin in February after an Oregon Department of Justice review of the Oregon State Police investigation.
Department of Justice spokeswoman Kristin Edmunson declined comment.
Moulin founded the task force in 2005. When other agencies heard about the work the Central Point was doing, they asked for assistance and training. For the next two years, Moulin worked with the other agencies by himself.
By 2011, the task force had grown to nine members from multiple agencies, including the Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland, Klamath Falls and Central Point police departments, the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.
Moulin said he was placed on leave while Central Point police conducted an internal investigation into the management of the unit. He later resigned after accepting a job with a federal defense contractor in Nevada.
Prosecutors on Friday filed a motion seeking to prohibit Moulin from discussing the case with journalists. Jackson County Circuit Judge Kelly Ravassipour denied the motion.
Moulin’s next court date is May 12.
