Former Wichita school board member, a city employee, charged in computer crime case

A Wichita police employee has been charged by the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office with a felony computer crime for leaking classified information, officials said.

Mia Turner, a former Wichita USD 259 school board member, had worked for the police department for more than 14 years. The past two-plus years she has been an administrative assistant, according to her LinkedIn page.

She had worked as an assistant to former deputy chief Wanda Givens who retired in January, according to police. Givens’ last day was Jan. 3, according to a Wichita police Facebook post.

Turner has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the case and an internal investigation conducted by the Wichita Police Department, according to a police news release.

She is charged in connection with a crime that allegedly happened Jan. 6, court records show.

Turner was appointed in March 2021 to fill a vacant seat on the USD 259 board for District 5, which covers northwest Wichita.

“I put six children through WPS, so I know how great it can be, I know where there can be some improvements,” she said.

She lost her seat in the Fall 2021 election.

“The charges stem from an investigation into the unauthorized release of classified information related to a criminal case in January of this year,” Wichita police spokesman Trevor Macy said Thursday.

On Jan. 6, Turner “unlawfully and knowingly” did “damage, modify, alter, destroy, copy, disclose or take possession of a computer, computer system, computer network, or other property, to-wit: email,” according to court records.

Contributing: Chance Swaim with The Eagle

This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 2:43 PM.