A Will County Board member on trial for computer tampering said she “just didn’t think” to ask a political opponent if they shared the same email account password, and she was a “stressed-out, busy person” at the time.

Jackie Traynere, a Democrat, took the witness stand on Thursday to testify about why, on March 6, 2024, she logged into the county email account of Judy Ogalla, a Republican on the county board.

Traynere is facing misdemeanor charges of computer tampering. Will County Judge Derek Ewanic plans to decide on Monday whether she’s guilty of the charges.

Traynere’s attorney, Jeff Tomczak, said he wanted Ewanic to issue a ruling on the case soon because she’s “got an election coming up.” Traynere is running in the March 17 Democratic primary for the Will County Board District 11 race.

Traynere testified she’s been on the county board for 18 years and attended cybersecurity training.

She said in January 2024, county board members received new computers that were already set up with an email and password. She said they were not allowed to choose their own password.

On March 5, 2024, Traynere said she heard “in passing” from someone she does not remember that board members all shared the same password.

She said that prompted her on March 6, 2024, to “test this idea” while she was at her DuPage Township office. She said the “only way I can check that out” was to log out of her county email account.

Under cross-examination, Traynere acknowledged she did not contact the county’s IT department about the issue before the morning of March 6, 2024.

Traynere said she then logged into Ogalla’s email account, but then input the same password she had for her own account. She said when she saw Ogalla’s email account open, it “scared me.”

“As much as I’m scared sitting up here on this stand right now,” Traynere said.

Traynere said she was “flabbergasted” that she could log into Ogalla’s account, and after about 10 seconds, she thought she had clicked out of the account.

When asked by her attorney why she chose Ogalla’s account, she smiled and said Ogalla is the “opposite party.” She said she’s “kicked myself every day for that.”

Traynere was asked by her attorney why she didn’t think to ask whether they shared the same password.

“I just didn’t think of it,” she said.

Traynere said she would “redo” some of the things she did that day.

Traynere said she went into Ogalla’s account to “test to see” if they all had the same password, and she did not think she would’ve been able to log in.

During that morning, Traynere contacted the county’s IT department and left a voicemail with Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant about the issue.

Around lunch time the same day, Traynere said she accessed what she initially thought was her own county email account.

She said she received an “interesting” email from Steve Balich, a Republican on the county board.

Traynere said she forwarded the email to Bertino-Tarrant and then to herself. She said she forwarded the email to herself to have a copy of it in case it was “recalled” by the author.

Traynere said when she realized she was actually in Ogalla’s account, she logged out, had a lunch date with a colleague and phoned Ogalla about accessing her account.

Traynere acknowledged Ogalla did not give her permission to access her account, read her emails, forward them or delete them.

Ogalla testified she did not see the email from Balich that had been forwarded to Bertino-Tarrant. Elward contends Traynere deleted that email.

Traynere said she had not read the email from Balich that she had forwarded to herself until a month ago.

Special Prosecutor Bill Elward told Ewanic he thought that was “preposterous” and “defies credibility.”

In closing arguments, Traynere’s attorney, Colin “CJ” Haney, told Ewanic his client is a whistleblower who is being punished for blowing the whistle on a security flaw with the county’s email system.

Haney said Traynere did not engage in a cover-up because she had told Ogalla, Bertino-Tarrant and the county’s IT department about the password issue.

Haney said Traynere’s actions are not those of a criminal but of someone trying to “protect her colleagues” as well as the county.

“How can the state claim unauthorized access when the county handed out the same key to everyone?” Haney said.

In response, Elward said Traynere was not “sounding the alarm.”

“She tripped the alarm,” Elward said.

Elward said Traynere gave several different explanations to Bertino-Tarrant, Ogalla and another county board member about the purpose of accessing Ogalla’s account.

Elward said Traynere was trying to “cover her tracks.” Instead of protecting the county, Elward said, Traynere was trying to “protect herself.”