SHAMOKIN - Kulpmont Police Chief Richard L. Wilson III testified under oath last week that he was fired as a dispatcher for the Pennsylvania State Police for sexual harassment and also was terminated from his position as a Northumberland County 911 Center dispatcher.
Wilson also admitted to resigning as a Mount Carmel Township police officer for undisclosed reasons.
While the latter job issue was reported on at the time it happened in the early 2000s, his terminations were not.
Wilson, who is running for magisterial district judge in Mount Carmel against current judge Hugh A. Jones in the May 17 primary election, admitted to being fired from the state police and county during questioning by Attorney Vincent V. Rovito Jr. during an approximately three-hour hearing April 25 before Magisterial District
Judge John Gembic III, Shamokin.
Rovito, who represented Cheryl M. Hornberger, 50, and her husband, David J. Hornberger, 56, of 611 N. Chestnut St., Kulpmont, at the summary hearing, asked Wilson about his past history to challenge the credibility of his testimony against the Hornbergers.
Cheryl Hornberger was found not guilty of summary offenses of littering and disorderly conduct, while her husband was found not guilty of violating a borough parking fine ordinance in connection with the same incident.
The citations were filed against the Hornbergers by Wilson in connection with incidents that occurred at about 7:20 a.m. Jan. 25 in the 600 block of Chestnut Street in Kulpmont.
Gembic heard the case because Jones recused himself from presiding over any legal proceedings involving Wilson because they are running for the same position.
In addition to Wilson and the Hornbergers, other witnesses at the lengthy April 25 hearing were former Kulpmont Mayor Robert Slaby, Constable Larry Rompallo and Joshua Hornberger, the defendants' son.
Sexual harassment
A stenographer from Ervin Blank Associates Inc., Milton, recorded testimony from the hearing and The News-Item obtained the 124-page transcript from the proceeding.
According to the transcript, Rovito asked Wilson if he was discharged from the state police as a dispatcher for sexual harassment involving a complaint filed by a woman. Wilson replied, "Yes."
Although no termination date was given during the testimony, Jack J. Lewis, press secretary for the Pennsylvania State Police in Harrisburg, confirmed Wilson was hired Oct. 12, 2004, and "separated from service" March 29, 2007. Lewis said Wilson was a police communicators operator assigned to the State Police Harrisburg Dispatch Center at the time of his separation. He was unable to provide any information on the reason for separation.
Asked by Rovito if he was discharged by Northumberland County for impersonating a police officer, Wilson replied, "No. I believe the letter that I have from Northumberland County said because I identified myself as a police officer."
When Rovito asked Wilson if he was a police officer at that time, Wilson stated, "Yes, I was."
Although he didn't identify during his testimony what police department he was employed by at the time of his firing by the county, The News-Item learned that he was employed part time at Kulpmont.
According to county records, Wilson was terminated as a telecommunicator III supervisor at the Northumberland County 911 Center on March 7, 2008, for identifying himself as a police officer while in the scope of county business. Wilson also failed to notify his supervisor about the incident after a complaint was lodged against him, according to county records.
Wilson was hired by the county as a telecommunicator on July 14, 2004.
During his testimony at the hearing last week, Wilson said he didn't fight his termination from the county.
MC Twp. dismissal
Rovito then asked Wilson if he was discharged by Mount Carmel Township as a police officer.
Wilson responded, "Well, I resigned."
Wilson was suspended in June 2003 from his police duties in Mount Carmel Township before later resigning for reasons that were never publicly disclosed.
Wilson was contacted several times this week to offer comment about his testimony, but he did not make any statements on the record. He complained that the issue being raised so close to the election was "political."