In early May, former Pioneer Press Publisher Par Ridder took a job as publisher of the Star Tribune.

But it’s not the only thing he took.

As reported by area publications, Ridder went to the Star Tribune with a Pioneer Press company laptop.

The laptop was said to have contained sensitive employee info such as e-mails, data about the company and years worth of employee W-2 income information.

Although Ridder gave the laptop back, he apparently still has the sensitive information from the hard drive of the computer.

In addition, there has been contention over other employees leaving the Pioneer Press for the Star Tribune, some that had noncompete clauses in the contract.

It’s no secret that employees have been shifting from the Pioneer Press to the Star Tribune for years, oftentimes because they can simply earn more money at the latter.

But it seems that a person in a position as high up as publisher would realize that it’s probably not a great idea to leave with a company laptop, especially if he’s headed over to the newspaper’s main competitor.

It was a bold move, undoubtedly offensive to some, and the least Ridder could have done was leave the company property at the Pioneer Press, or prove that he doesn’t have information from the hard drive.

In a blog post on MNSpeak.com, one reader called Ridder’s moves “sub-par for the course.”

You’d think, especially considering the troubling times the newspaper industry is facing, that top executives would attempt to exude a certain amount of grace and professionalism when leaving their jobs.

You’d think, but you’d be wrong.