A Honolulu Police Department civilian employee who won a six-figure sexual harassment lawsuit against the department five years ago was indicted by an O'ahu grand jury yesterday.

Sharon C. Black was charged with one count of unauthorized computer access, fourth-degree theft and tampering with a government record. The computer access charge is the most serious of the accusations and is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors allege that Black was authorized to use the computers at the city medical examiner's office as part of her job, but that she exceeded her authority from July 29 to Aug. 4, 2005. She is accused of printing documents that she was not authorized to print, and refusing to hand over the unspecified government records when ordered to do so.

A Circuit Court judge yesterday set Black's bail at $5,000.

Black and her attorney, Mark Beatty, yesterday said the charges were in retaliation for her 1997 sexual harassment lawsuit against the department. Black, an outreach worker with HPD, had charged that she was sexually harassed by former Assistant Chief Joseph Aveiro Jr. and that other high-ranking officials failed to discipline him.

One of the defendants named in the lawsuit is current Police Chief Boisse Correa. In 2001, the City Council approved a $612,000 settlement with Black.

Beatty said now that Correa is chief, he is getting back at Black.

"We think that there's a very clear retaliatory purpose," Beatty said. "Our position is that all of the charges are distorted, fraudulent and for retaliatory purposes."

Correa could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Black said the charges are "senseless" because she had permission to do the research. Black, who has been with HPD for 15 years, was placed on administrative leave soon after the allegations surfaced in August 2005.

"Charging me with this seems kind of senseless," Black said. "The whole array of charges is based on records, stealing records. But I have e-mails by (medical examiner Kanthi De Alwis) herself, giving me permission."

Black added that she believes she is being targeted because of her friendship with an employee in the medical examiner's office who recently was placed on leave for providing information to the media that was critical of the office.

Black said she will turn herself in and will ask the state public defender's office to represent her.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.