A defense attorney representing Hancock Town Clerk Joan Joseph, who was arrested in late October for unauthorized disclosure of private information, entered a not guilty plea in court on Monday morning.
Joseph did not appear in Jaffrey District Court.
Joseph was arrested for violating the Driver Privacy Act, which establishes that the Division of Motor Vehicle’s records are confidential and that only certain people and entities — including municipal motor vehicle registration agents — have access to the documents, and then only for certain purposes permitted by law.
Joseph was charged with one count of violating the DPA by knowingly disclosing protected motor vehicle information, including a vehicle owner’s name and address, to a person who was not authorized to the information. It’s alleged that Joseph had access to the information as a result of her status as town clerk and that she obtained the information for a friend who wanted to know an individual’s identity based on their New Hampshire registration plate number.
The charge is a class A misdemeanor, a crime which carries a maximum possible penalty of 12 months in jail and a $2,000 fine.
A status conference regarding the legal proceedings is set for Jan. 30.
Abby Kessler can be reached at 924-7172, ext. 234 or akessler@ledgertranscript.com.