Battle brewing in South Connellsville as 4 volunteer firefighters face charges

SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — A battle is brewing in South Connellsville between the borough’s volunteer fire department, the police department and the council after four volunteer firefighters were charged, one of them for failing to register as a sex offender.

"I take this job seriously, and I want things done the right and proper way,” South Connellsville Council President Karen Holbrook said.

Holbrook is in the middle of a power struggle between the police chief and the volunteer fire department.

"We have open investigations that we're following up on in regards to (the firefighters),” South Connellsville Police Chief Russ Miller said.

Miller filed charges Tuesday against four volunteer firefighters in a town where the department has been a mainstay for more than 100 years.

"We all want the fire company to be here, but we want to make sure they're properly trained (and) compliant with their paperwork. It's just a matter of law and safety,” Miller said.

The police chief said three firefighters, including the department’s chief and president, were part of filing a false report, claiming that another police officer harassed a patron at the department. Miller said surveillance video shows that it never happened.

Meanwhile, a fourth firefighter, Christopher Parrill, is charged with failing to register as a sex offender.

"During this investigation, I found that there is a Megan's Law violator currently volunteering, and he is not eligible to get the child abuse clearances and cannot be there,” Miller said.

Holbrook said the borough’s council repeatedly asked the volunteer fire department for its records on background checks and child clearance checks, but never got them.

“The president of the fire company said that he would make it as hard as possible for me to get this paperwork. It's not me that wants it, it's the law. We should have it on file,” Holbrook said. “They do have a junior program, and they do sponsor youth sports teams. That's a conflict."

South Connellsville Volunteer Fire Department Second Assistant Fire Chief Jim Porterfield responded to the charges his fellow firefighters are facing.

“The borough’s police department thinks they're going to run the borough, which I don't know what's going on with that stuff. And the borough president, she dictates what she wants done,” he said.

South Connellsville Volunteer Fire Department President Donald Ringer, Fire Chief Steven Jeremy Grubbs and volunteer fireman Kenneth Harshman face preliminary hearings at 3 p.m. June 23.

Parrill also awaits a preliminary hearing. The time and date have not been set.

Cox Media Group