Mesa County Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley pleads ‘not guilty’ to burglary, cybercrime charges

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - Mesa County Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley entered a not guilty plea during her review hearing on Monday. Knisley faces charges of second-degree burglary and cybercrime related to alleged activity at the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

In the affidavit supporting her arrest warrant, it is alleged that Knisley used Mesa Co. Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters’ (R) work station to access the county’s secure computer network on Aug. 25, 2021. Two days earlier, Knisley’s employment with the county had been suspended and her own access to county network systems had been disabled. Her suspension stemmed from alleged workplace misconduct. Her suspension and the investigation are currently ongoing.

Among other charges, it is also alleged that Knisley sent emails from Peters’ email address to the county’s IT department asking for a “print-pin” password to be sent over email. Per policy, the county is not allowed to send passwords over email.

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