Principal Investigated For Unauthorized Computer Use: Police

APPLE VALLEY, MN, — Apple Valley police are investigating unauthorized computer access they say occured at the home of Chris Endicott, a principal at Century Middle School in Lakeville. Both Chris and his wife Andrea, a counselor at Scott Highlands Middle School in Apple Valley, are under investigation and were placed on administrative leave from their jobs.

On Jan. 5, one of Andrea’s coworkers at the middle school reported unauthorized factory resets were performed on her district-issued iPad and cellphone. The IT department determined the resets were performed remotely.

The employee later learned that private documents she created and saved on her secured drive had been transferred to a shared drive. IT staff discovered their computer systems had been accessed by someone outside their district network for the past 18 months.

Search warrants revealed the intrusions were coming from two specific Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. These IP addresses were tracked to the Apple Valley home of Christopher and Andrea Endicott as well as an IP address belonging to the Lakeville school district, according to police. Police seized devices and other evidence.

No arrests have been made.

Captain Nick Francis told Patch the couple is under suspicion of unauthorized computer access under state statute 609.891, which ranges from a misdemeanor to a felony.

Superintendent Michael Baumann told KSTP that Century students are "in no way compromised or at risk."

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