A former 40-year-old City of Eldridge employee, who was placed on leave in March, has been released on bond after city administrators say he did not turn in city computers, continued to access city systems, and ordered clothing – including underwear – that is not covered by clothing allowances, according to court records.

Jacob Rowe faces a felony charge of second-degree theft, aggravated misdemeanor charges of unauthorized computer access – confidential/trade/operation data, tampering with records, unauthorized use of a credit card under $1,500 and conspiracy to commit an aggravated misdemeanor; and a serious misdemeanor charge of unauthorized computer access – copy/alter/delete data, records show.

Two missing laptops, an internal investigation

When Rowe was placed on administrative leave on March 25, 2024, he was asked if he had a work/city laptop. In response, Rowe told city officials that he did not have a city-owned laptop and that he used only a desktop computer at the city shop and an iPad that was at his residence, arrest affidavits say.

According to affidavits, a city administrator identified two laptop computers, an ASUS brand and an MSi branded laptop, and both were signed out by Rowe. These two laptop computers, a hard drive and iPad, were not returned. The value of these items to include the software and loss equals $2,836.62.

On March 25, 2024, Rowe was placed on administrative leave and was asked to turn in computers in his possession, which he did not do. “We have proof that he was still in possession of a city-owned computer after he was placed on leave and accessed the computer,” administrators say in affidavits.

Affidavits show the computer had remote access capabilities to the city water system called Scada and the water plant HVAC system. Investigators learned that in the hard drive and the stolen laptop was a software program called Scada. The laptop functioned as a server, which gave remote access to the Scada system called “Remote PC.”

The purpose of the Scada system is to allow operators to monitor data from the water towers. It communicates water levels to the technicians, and will send alarm notifications of situations that need to be addressed, and also adjusts water levels and water pressure levels if needed. It controls pumps and either turns on or turns off the water plant, according to affidavits.

Additionally, affidavits say, the Scada system will create graphs of the data received in the last 24 hours. Numbers can be changed through this program and if the numbers are inaccurate, they could cause water pressure spikes that would cause water main breaks.

The laptop also operated as a server for the HVAC system at the water plant, according to affidavits, which show the HVAC system could be accessed remotely, and a person could control the blowers through the software. When this laptop was stolen, there wasn’t a way for an employee to access the program, “so the city had to call in an I.T. professional to come in to reinstall the program on another computer,” affidavits show.

According to the internal affairs investigation, at the time Rowe was placed on paid administrative leave, he was directed to turn over all city-owned property in his possession, affidavits say. At the time of his termination, Rowe remained in possession and control of utility records and information and continued to access and modify that information. He modified a document entitled “Clothing Allowance” on April 3, 2024, at 11:03 AM by accessing the Dropbox files, which (Rowe) owns and controls, affidavits say. It was username and password protected. He further provided access to current emails using personal email accounts rather than their work email accounts, compromising the maintenance and safety of such records.

In affidavits, officials say the internal affairs investigation revealed Rowe had modified and/or deleted information/files off of the city-owned computer and modified software systems such that the city’s customary backup and operating systems, so they were not allowed to run and properly secure and store public records and information. IT analytics further confirmed that Rowe was engaged in “serially deleting” his email communications on his city-owned email account, several times per day while working as the interim utility manager. He also deleted text messages related to city utility business. According to the report, affidavits show, “The deletions were excessive, consistent, unusual and in violation of Iowa law requiring preservation of public records.”

An internal affairs investigation confirmed that Rowe previously submitted an expense reimbursement request for a purchase made at Dillard’s from the “pajamas and robes” department. The city administrator’s investigation confirmed that the purchase was for men’s underwear, and reported this is not an acceptable or approved item for clothing allowance purchases, and it is not for a public purpose, according to affidavits.

The administrator confronted Jacob about this purchase, affidavits say. He reportedly denied having a credit card and he provided no further explanation for the purchase. The administrator wrote, “This documentation confirmed Rowe was paid reimbursement for this submitted expense, which is improper and a misuse of public funds.”

Additionally, the administrator later calculated the unauthorized use amount to be $900 in clothing expenditures. Rowe also purchased a Dropbox software program by using the city credit card in the amount of $128.27 for a grand total of $1,028.27 in unauthorized purchases.

Rowe, who was arrested Friday on a warrant, is set for a preliminary hearing July 9 in Scott County Court.

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