The mayor of a small Pennsylvania town is standing by its volunteer fire company's re-election of a registered sex offender as its fire chief.
Chief Roger Gilbert Jr. was convicted in 2001 of sexual intercourse with a 4-year-old girl and is listed in the state's Megan's Law database, The (Corry) Journal reported Saturday . Court records show Gilbert is a felon who completed a five- to 10-year sentence for "involuntary deviate sexual intercourse."
Mayor Ann Louise Wagner says she and firefighters have been aware that Gilbert, an unpaid volunteer with the department since 2010, is a sex offender. He was just elected to his second term.
"I support the fire department and their decision to have him as chief," Wagner told the Journal. "The firemen have always elected their own officers and that's how it's always been done. We don't question their decisions."