Schuylkill County Sheriff Candidate Doug Litwhiler is withdrawing from the race because of allegations that he contacted young girls.

Litwhiler, 36, who is also the Ringtown chief of police, said “none of this stuff is true.”

He learned of Facebook posts on the “Schuylkill County Sheriff Candidate Doug Litwhiler likes young girls” page Wednesday.

On Tuesday voters went to the polls and voted for him on the Republican ballot to face Schuylkill County Sheriff Joseph Groody in the November election. He said he will bow out of the race after the election results are certified. A date was not provided.

“It’s not (be)cause I’ve done anything wrong,” he said, adding it was for his family.

Litwhiler has a 9-year-old son.

He said the allegations are “ridiculous.”

“If you’re going to make something up, at least make it believable,” he said.

Most of the comments do not have names attached to them. One writer alleges he “preys on young women.” The posted by a “Renae” says she worked at an Ashland Pizza shop when she was 16. She alleges Litwhiler made a comment on her physical appearance and started messaging her. At the time he was an Ashland Police officer, Renae says.

Another post says Litwhiler was a referee for basketball games at Ashland Elementary.

“He used to talk to me at my games and make weird comments about how old I am, how in “shape” I look for my age and he’ll look out for me as I grow up. … I ended up quitting the game I loved because of his harassment and fear it would get worse,” the post reads.

There are also several purported screen shot Facebook messages from Litwhiler on the page making statements.

“I’ve never sexually assaulted anybody. I’ve never sexually harassed anybody. I’ve never messaged underage girls,” Litwhiler said.

He said he believes the social media posts are a result of him “doing really well in the primary.” He said one of the posts is from someone whose mother is dating Groody’s brother-in-law, although he could not confirm if that is presently true.

“I highly believe he (Groody) is putting people up to this and having people make theses stories up,” he said.

Litwhiler said he called Groody three times but got no answer.

Sheriff responds

Groody posted, “I would like to publicly state I had nothing to do with the accusations against my opponent Douglas Litwhiler. I am aware of numerous concerns that have been made public, through Facebook. I want to express support for all victims of sexual harassment, it’s something I take very serious. I look forward to running on my record. I won three prior elections for Sheriff and have always run positive campaigns solely on my record and qualifications. I look forward to running the same positive campaign on my record this year and continuing to serve as your Sheriff for the next four years.”

Anthony Kodack, 26, of Ashland, is the author of the page. He was honorably discharged from the Air Force. Kodack said he created the page to give an outlet for the women to speak

“I want to share your story. You deserve your voice being heard,” he said Sunday.

He said he wants to protect the identity of the women so, for the most part, the social media posts are anonymous. Creating the page had nothing to do with politics, he said. He knows Groody but “I have not talked or met with Sheriff Groody in years.”

He said Groody has “no affiliation with this page,” and he started it on his own. Friends told him about their encounters with Litwhiler, although he doesn’t know most of the women. Kodack says he asks for evidence or corroboration when deciding what to post. He has rejected some for such comments regarding language.

“I’m not looking to slander anyone or put things out there that might not be true,” he said.

He asked for permission to post the stories before doing so.

Kodack said he has photos of what he says are official complaints. “These women did not give me permission to have it posted,” he said.

He said he has a lawyer if Litwhiler sues. “He has every right to do that and I am preparing my own defense,” he said.

Kodack said he will not take down the page unless ordered to so by a court.

Starting the page has been beneficial for those wanting to share their interactions with Litwhiler, he said. Some have reached out saying they feel “inspired” by the courage of those brave enough share their experience. “I believe it’s incredible,” Kodack said.

Republican response

Howard Merrick, chairman of the Schuylkill County Republican Committee, said he found out Thursday about the social media posts. He read them Friday.

“Obviously, they were very serious accusations against Doug,” he said.

He called Litwhiler and they talked.

“I asked him to consider to withdraw from the race,” he said.

Merrick asked Litwhiler to consider “the good of the party” and his family.

Litwhiler called him back later and said he would do so.

Merrick said he’s going to create a search committee to select a candidate for the position.

“We have time, but I’d like to move as quickly as possible,” he said, adding they have until August.