Why Were Cops Snooping on Idol's Crystal Bowersox?

Ohio cops, sheriffs, state employees and prosecutors among workers found improperly accessing private records of American Idol contestant

Hey, Ohio police, stop snooping on celebrities and start minding your own business!

It's been revealed that cops, an assistant city prosecutor and others with both access and questionable ethics, improperly accessed the personal records of American Idol runner-up (and Toledo native) Crystal Bowersox while she was competing on the show.

Obviously, someone—a few someones, actually—wanted to dig up some dirt on the bluesy songbird.

According to the Toledo Blade, employees of five different local governmental agencies, including the sheriff's department, a Bureau of Motor Vehicles clerk, the city attorney's office, and an office administered by the attorney general's office all variously tapped into confidential state databases a total of eight times in a one month period to check on a possible criminal record, driving infractions, and cars registered in Bowersox's name.

The word you're looking for is creepy.

"I had no idea it happened," the 25-year-old reality star alum told the paper. "I'm disgusted by it."

The breaches were discovered by an Ohio State Highway Patrol official, of all people, who decided to audit for suspicious checks after she became a finalist on the show, just to make sure there had been no improper peeking.

Those found to be at fault were given punishments ranging from two-week employer suspensions to written reprimands, though Bowersox told the paper she did not intend to file any lawsuits, though one man, the DMV clerk, has been charged with illegally snooping and unauthorized use of property and could face a year in prison.

As for Bowersox, she only found out about the snooping when an Ohio Department of Public Safety official wrote to the singer apologizing for the unauthorized security breach and hoping to soften the blow by informing her she hadn't appeared to have been a victim of identity theft.

Just a target of prying eyes.

The letter was delivered to her father, Bill Bowersox, who only informed his daughter of the incident a few days ago, after the American Idol Live! tour ended and she returned home.

"You feel violated…but I guess it comes with the territory," she said. "It's completely disgusting that someone would do that to anyone. Not just a celebrity, but anyone.

"Part of this whole American Idol thing and being thrown into a spotlight, people are going to get curious. But I don't think any of the people who participated in it would have wanted it to happen to them or their family members. That's disgusting. What if somebody went and did that to their child or sister? It's really saddening and disappointing."