Local deputy fire chief facing felony charges in Westmoreland, Fayette counties

ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Yukon Deputy Fire Chief, John Stants is now facing four new felony charges out of Westmoreland County, in addition to the felony charges he’s facing out of Fayette County. All of the charges are related to services he was paid for as a contractor that allegedly were never completed.

Detectives say Stants entered into a contract with the Rostraver/West Newton Ambulance Company on Aug. 9, 2021, to replace two garage doors and put in one, large, single door instead. Court documents say Stants asked for an $8,500 deposit for the $9,820 project and he was paid.

Court documents say as of January 2024, no work had been done and no materials had been purchased for the work at the station. Detectives say they talked to Stants, who agreed on Jan. 22, 2024, to pay back the money within 30 days. Detectives say the money was never repaid.

On March 7, Stants was booked into the Westmoreland County Prison. His lawyer, Jill Devine, said her client was under the impression he had until the end of March to pay back the $8,500.

“One of the reasons there has been a delay in the case is that when he inspected the property, he noticed that the trusses of the building were sagging, meaning the walls would bow out,” Devine said. “So why put a garage door in when you can’t do that? To do it right, you want to fix the underlying issues before you can do that work.”

Devine said she’s not ruling politics out in this case. She also believes detectives in Westmoreland County are using Stants’ case out of Fayette County against him.

“$25,000 straight bail for $8,500 contract - that seems a little high to me,” Devine said. “He had to put up his house to stay out of jail.”

In Washington Township, Fayette County, police say Stants was hired to build a home on Hoffman Street. Instead of completing the work, police say Stants accepted $57,000. According to court documents, Stants eventually paid for the foundation to be poured, leaving the victim out over $26,000. The victim had to find someone else to build his home and according to court documents, he’s since defaulted on his loan.

Devine says she expects this case, and the one out of Westmoreland County will never make it to trial.

“John is going to take full responsibility,” Devine said. “They’re going to resolve it to the satisfaction of both sides - that’s not an admission of guilt, that’s good business.”

Devine added that her client has been a businessman and contractor for 30 years and has no criminal history.

“He knows what he’s doing, he’s never had any problems, he’s not a fly by the night contractor,” Devine added.

We did reach out to the Yukon Volunteer Fire Department to see Stants’ status with the department as Deputy Chief. Our calls and emails were not returned.

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