A Cranberry Township woman is accused of trying to extort a business she worked at by taking control of its website and demanding ransom money. However, she claims she’s innocent.
Kelly Yockey used to work at Harmony Family Chiropractic but was let go on Jan. 3. Now, she’s facing serious charges.
Jackson Township police say they got a call from the business owner on Jan. 10, claiming Yockey changed the password to the website and was refusing to give him access.
“It was just out of the blue hearing about it. I was just shocked,” said Kayla Frederick.
Frederick works next door and knew Yockey from coming into the bakery. She tells Channel 11 she’s surprised by the news.
“I am glad she is being held accountable,” Frederick said. “The whole team at the chiropractor is so sweet, all of them frequent here.”
Court documents allege Yockey demanded $36,000 and her final pay, saying that’s “equivalent to her value at the business over the last three years.”
“I guess she still knew the passwords and stuff to go in and mess it up so that’s scary,” Frederick said.
Police claim she also threatened the owner, saying she would take legal action if she didn’t get the money.
“To think she could take legal action when she was the one in the wrong is just wild,” Frederick said.
Channel 11 stopped by Yockey’s house on Monday but no one answered the door.
However, Channel 11 did speak with her over the phone and said she’s confident the truth will prevail and feels she is not guilty of these allegations.
The owner of the business did not want to comment. Yockey is expected to be in court on March 6th for her preliminary hearing.
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