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Cuesta College breach led to drug bust

June 17, 2015
Lacey and Chad Fowler

Lacey and Chad Fowler

By KAREN VELIE

While serving a search warrant at the home of a Cuesta College Human Resources analyst suspected of misappropriation of employee personal information, investigators discovered more than four pounds of methamphetamine and heroin.

On May 31, a Cuesta College employee allegedly breached the campus data system and then emailed employee names, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers to her private email account. A week after the theft, campus police became aware of the breach and asked the San Luis Obispo District Attorneys Office for assistance.

On June 11, Cuesta College Police officers and SLO District Attorney investigators searched the Paso Robles home of Lacey Fowler, a Cuesta College analyst, and her husband Chad Fowler, campus sources said.

Inside a storage unit at the residence on the 3000 block of Creston Road, investigators discovered 5 pounds of methamphetamine and 7.1 ounces of black tar heroin, reportedly worth about $27,000. Retired sheriff deputy Micheal Wasley, a relative of Lacey Fowler, owns the property.

Campus police then called in SLO County Sheriff’s narcotics investigators to assist. Sheriff deputies arrested Chad Fowler on charges of possession of heroin for sale and possession of methamphetamine for sale, with an enhancement for possessing more than one kilo of methamphetamine.

Chad Fowler remains in the San Luis Obispo County Jail with bail set at $200,000, according to the sheriff’s website.

Shortly after the search of the Fowlers’ home, Cuesta College President Gil Stork informed employees through an email of the breach of their personal information. Stork also warned employees to take precautions to protect themselves from the breach noting that college officials would follow up with suggestions.

Lacey Fowler is currently on approved medical leave, said Millisa Richerson, Cuesta College’s executive director of human resources and labor negotiations. Richerson would not comment on the identity of the employee responsible for the data theft because of employee confidentiality.

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The estimated value of the drugs seems extremely low. $27K for the Black Tar is about right but then you must add the Meth. My thoughts are that Meth is selling for about $10,000 per lbs. Times 5 = $50k for the Meth alone.


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Why isn’t Lacey in jail?


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she works for a government type organization


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So?


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After the letter from Cuesta indicating my info was compromised, my credit card showed three unauthorized charges the very next day.

The charges were for online book sales .

Coincidence ?

All Cuesta could offer was that I watch my credit card .

I wonder how many others are impacted.

Cuesta should do more for those of us that have been hacked, they caused the problem and yes, it is a major inconvenience to get a new card.


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Something here isn’t making sense. Why would your credit card number be part of your personnel file? While she did get SS#’s which means someone could attempt to open a CC account in your name, there is no reason why your actual CC info would have been accessed. Oppps, unless the personnel file was used to access your credit report? I believe the “entire card number” would be available on that report? But I don’t think the 3 digit control number would have been available and that number is necessary to transaction on line and telephone CC payments.


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Sorry, I meant the 3 digit control number is necessary to transact payments over the phone or on-line.


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Boy this all sounds very desperate. I don’t think I want to guess about how or why it happened, but it’s very sad that individuals had their private information stolen. I would be highly irritated if I worked at Cuesta and had this happen to me.


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Sure do hope there aren’t any little ones living in this home.

If these two are guilty, and subsequently convicted, it would be devastating for a child to have both parents taken away at once.


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Life as this couple knew it, is about to come to an end.

They have big troubles ahead of them.


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What is strange is that who would ever have thought that these people were dealers of such dangerous drugs? I mean really, an HR analyst for Cuesta College ? A lily white pretty wife and husband who live on property owned by a retired LE relative? These are the people with lots of nasty meth and heroin in their storage room? What?


My second thought is, do yah think that Mr Fowler is extremely pissed off at Mrs Fowler for her lame brained download? LOL – I mean just saying that you can’t fix stupid.


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I agree. They sound like a little messed up Bonnie & Clyde crime syndicate with little or no brains.


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Cindy, consider this analogy. There are many gay people who have lived their entire lives with most of the people around them completely unaware that they are gay. Many people who only have had casual exposure to homosexuals assume that gay people look or act a certain way. Certainly this is not quite as common as it used to be but in the past it was very common for people to have that perception. People draw their conclusions about who does what based upon noticeable behaviors, and then just assume that people who don’t exhibit those behaviors or appearances are just like them in what they do. Unfortunately, they also draw their judgments based on only that subset.


The same applies to drugs.


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Such a lovely couple, thief & dealer. Wonder if her prince is employed or the designated stay at home drug dealer ?


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Lacey fowler is currently on approved medical leave. What? Disapprove the medical leave for this felon and junkie and poisoner of youths and fire her ass. IMMEDIATELY! Approved medical leave. Are you also going to pay her during her jail sentence?


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Since the bond passed and all the other handouts Cuesta gets, actually “we, the taxpayers will be paying her” during her jail sentence, and then of course the disability claim will not be far behind, again being paid by the taxpayers.


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“Handouts”? Your post makes no sense.


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We should fire everyone who’s accused of something. Is this Lacey girl guilty or is her husband or both? Is it their storage shed? Did the housekeeper hack the state computer from lacey’s computer after she left herself logged in accidentally?


All silly questions but by golly she deserves her day in court in the same way you or I have a day in court.


Then we can terminate her employement and the other mean things you have in store for her.


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I get your point but you’re still getting a thumbs down for reaching too far.


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We don’t know the facts yet. She could well have been on medical leave before all of this happened. Patience.


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