American Idol - Ohio Officials Snoop Into Bowersox's Personal Records

Former AMERICAN IDOL star CRYSTAL BOWERSOX has declined to take legal action against state officials in her native Ohio after learning her personal records had been improperly accessed.

The singer found herself at the centre of controversy this week (begs06Sep10) after reporters at The Columbus Dispatch discovered that several employees at the State Highway Patrol had looked into Bowersox's background information in May (10).

Representatives for the Ohio Department of Public Safety issued an apology letter to Bowersox on 1 July (10), but the star's father only recently broke the news to her when she returned home to Toledo.

Bowersox admits she is "disgusted" by the scandal but is not planning to sue those responsible.

Two of the employees in question have since lost their jobs as a result of their snooping.