A Honolulu Police Department civilian employee yesterday asked for a restraining order to halt her criminal theft prosecution that she says is in retaliation for her $612,000 settlement of a sexual harassment lawsuit against high-ranking police officers.

Sharon C. Black also asked for a court order halting the police from conducting any administrative action against her.

Black was indicted by the O'ahu grand jury on Aug. 10 on charges of unauthorized computer access, fourth-degree theft and tampering with a government record. She is accused of exceeding her authority to use computers at the city medical examiner's office during a week in July and August last year.

Black and her attorney Mark Beatty earlier said the criminal case is in retaliation of her sexual harassment lawsuit that resulted in the 2001 settlement. She accused former Assistant Police Chief Joseph Aveiro Jr. of sexually harassing her and other high-ranking officials of failing to take action against him.

Police Chief Boisse Correa was named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Correa and city prosecutors could not be reached for comment.

Yesterday's request made the same claims of retaliation.

The request said any criminal or administration action taken against Black must first be presented to a circuit judge to ensure it is not being done in retaliation, which would be in violation of the 2001 settlement agreement.

The request said if a circuit judge finds that the criminal and administrative charges are valid, the city can continue with those two cases.

Black has lost $20,827 from August 2005 to July 2006 because of being assigned to a lowerpaying job, and $3,300 for the loss of use of a car, the request said.

"If the criminal case and (police) administrative proceedings are based on fraudulent evidence, then she will be subject to additional months if not years of such suffering," it said.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.