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Weissport council terminates police chief

Weissport council voted unanimously to terminate Chief of Police Brent Getz at their meeting on Monday.

The vote came after a brief executive session to begin the council meeting.

Council members did not offer any comments regarding the vote.

After terminating Getz, council unanimously agreed to advertise to hire a new officer.

As a result of the termination, Weissport Borough is without local police coverage.

The Pennsylvania State Police will be responding to calls in the borough.

Mayor Paulette Watson and members of council declined to comment after the meeting.

Getz, who was promoted to part-time chief of police in February by a unanimous vote, was charged by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office last week following an investigation into accusations of Getz and his friend, Gregory Wagner Jr., raping a young girl hundreds of times over a seven-year period.

He faces charges of rape of a child; conspiracy, rape by forcible compulsion; involuntary deviant sexual intercourse with a child; conspiracy, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion; aggravated indecent assault of a child; aggravated indecent assault without consent; and indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age.

Before working in Weissport, Getz worked for Palmerton, Franklin, West Penn Township and Tamaqua police departments.

Getz and Wagner Jr. were both lodged in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250,000 straight bail and are awaiting a preliminary hearing on Wednesday before District Judge William Kissner of Palmerton.

Getz
Mayor Paulette Watson, Secretary-Treasurer Bill Donovan and Councilman Thomas Ketchledge during Monday council meeting. DEREK SOLT/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS