Boone County looks at removing auditor BOONE COUNTY, Ind. — Boone County commissioners and council members are considering removing the county auditor after a data leak exposed employee names and Social Security numbers. Boone County held a public hearing Tuesday on the removal of Auditor De bbie Crum, who took office in 2021. An internal investigation found Crum emailed the names and Social Security numbers of all 290 county employees to the Indiana Department of Child Services. Weeks later, a DCS employee emailed the document to four Boone County employees and two county vendors. Auditor Debbie Crum. (Circle City Broadcasting Photo) Boone County highway worker Matt Schaller was among the employees the data leak impacted. He testified at Tuesday’s public hearing. “It’s not fun to deal with,” Schaller said. “We deserve better from our elected officials. Our data is still at risk and that’s what we need to protect.” Crum apologized Tuesday for the incident. “I’m sorry it happened,” Crum said. County attorney Beth Copeland said Crum’s mistakes extend far beyond the data leak. During an hour-long presentation, Copeland alleged Crum repeatedly shared sensitive information over email. Copeland also said Crum had a history of poor bookkeeping, payroll issues, paying invoices from incorrect funds, and failing to upload contracts to a transparency portal. She alleged these errors cost the county thousands of dollars. (Circle City Broadcasting Photo) Copeland also accused Crum of nepotism, claiming she hired and paid her daughter for county work in 2023 and 2024. “This is a clear pattern of not just negligence, but almost a complete disregard for so many different processes,” Copeland said. “The DCS issue is the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.” Crum admitted to hiring her daughter but said the work was brief and the pay was minimal. The auditor said that while she made mistakes, she should not lose her job. “What I’m asking is the facts be considered in their full context,” Crum said. “Some of these allegations concern mistakes that were corrected, some of them information provided by HR and other departments and other elected officials.” The Boone County Government building. (Circle City Broadcasting Photo) Several Boone County residents and employees testified in support of Crum. “I think it’s a poop show, and I think you’re out to get her for no reason,” county employee Terri Batts said. “It’s a bunch of crap. Everyone comments it’s a witch show and it really truly is. As you can tell from the evidence, nothing she’s done is criminal.” “We must stand up for and stand beside our elected officials,” resident Karen Morton said. “She is an elected official.” Both the county commissioners and county council must decide if Crum is guilty of “refusing, neglecting, or being unable to perform the official duties pertaining to her office.” This would be the first time in Indiana history a county official was removed from an elected office for that reason. The county commissioners and council will vote on a resolution in approximately two weeks. If both bodies approve the removal, a judge will then consider the case. Crum’s attorney cited a Supreme Court case, State of Indiana v. Beth Neff, in which the state tried to remove the Yorktown Clerk-Treasurer for failing to perform statutory duties. The Delaware Circuit Court declined to remove Neff, ruling her conduct was misfeasance rather than nonfeasance. The Supreme Court affirmed that decision, noting the case did not meet the rare criteria for removal. Boone County communications director Brent Wheat said the county is taking the issue seriously. “The process speaks for itself, and we’re trying to be very transparent about it,” Wheat said. “We’re looking at it with our due diligence and making sure it’s done right.” ...read more read less