Hard drives in 83 computers and four servers were destroyed, according to Claire Bailey, director of the Arkansas Department of Information Systems (DIS). She said that her office backed up information from the servers, but not the computers, and gave the backup tapes to Huckabee's former chief of staff. The DIS apparently did not retain a copy of the data on the backup tapes.

The computers from which the hard drives were removed and destroyed were located in the state Capitol; a state office in Washington; the Arkansas State Police airport hangar; the governor's mansion; and the Arkansas State Police drug office, she said.

The ethics complaint was filed on Monday by Bella Vista, Ark. resident Jim Parsons over concerns that state property had been destroyed. Parsons confirmed that he filed the complaint, but a spokesman for the Arkansas Ethics Commission -- citing a confidentiality policy -- would not confirm the existence of a complaint against Huckabee.

Parsons on Tuesday also tried to file a criminal complaint against Huckabee with Larry Jegley, the prosecuting attorney of Pulaski County. That was one day after Huckabee, a Republican, filed papers to form an exploratory committee in advance of a possible run for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.

However, Jegley's office did not accept Parsons' complaint because it did not consider him to be a victim of a crime, according to First Deputy Prosecutor, John Johnson. If, in fact, destruction of the hard drives was a crime, the true victim of Huckabee's actions would be the state agencies that owned the computers, he said.