Roger Gilbert Jr. (Fire Chief)
Roger Gilbert Jr. (Fire Chief)
Roger Gilbert Jr. is a convicted sex offender and volunteer fire chief residing in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania.
In 2001, he was convicted of having sexual intercourse with a 4-year-old girl [1] [0]
In the Media
CBS Pittsburgh: Registered Sex Offender Elected As Fire Chief In Pa.
Mayor Ann Louise Wagner says she and firefighters have been aware that Gilbert is a sex offender.
"I support the fire department and their decision to have him as chief," Wagner told the (Corry) Journal.
"The firemen have always elected their own officers and that's how it's always been done.
We don't question their decisions."
The victim's mother told the newspaper that she doesn't believe he should be in a job where he could interact with children.
"As fire chief, this man interacts with children,” she told the Journal.
“If you were in an accident, would you want this man working on your child?"[4]
Gilbert told the Journal he has changed his life for the better since committing the crime in 2000 in the nearby city of Corry, Pennsylvania.
"That was 20 years ago," Gilbert said.
"You know, the story you are telling kids is once you make mistake, you will be punished for the rest of your life.
I've changed my life for the better.
Every day I get up and try to do good."
Pennsylvania State Police said it is up to each individual community to decide whether to allow sex offenders who have completed their sentences to serve in an office at the local level.
Criminal Record
On August 7, 2001 Robert Gilbert Jr. was convicted in 2001 of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse after forcing a 4-year-old girl to perform oral sex on him.
[1] [0]He is listed as a tier 3 offender, the highest severity level in the Pennsylvania Megan's Law sex offender database.
[2]Tier 3 offenders remain in the sex offender database for life while lower tier offenders are removed from the database after a period of time.