Former maintenance director charged over lead levels in water at Summit Elementary

SUMMIT TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The former maintenance director for the Butler Area School District is facing criminal charges over the lead levels at Summit Elementary School.

RELATED STORY: Investigation finds potential misconduct amid water concerns at Butler elementary school

According to the criminal complaint, Glenn Terwilliger, 54, of Chicora told supervisors the water at the school was safe, even after Department of Environmental Protection test results revealed elevated levels of copper and lead.

RELATED STORY: 11 Investigates: How high lead levels in water at Butler elementary school came to light

Police said Terwilliger, a 35-year employee of the district, got an email from the state Department of Environmental Protection in September 2016 detailing five actions the district needed to take, including a public education program that involved notifying the public within 60 days of the problem.

Police said Terwilliger kept the results confidential, and when the DEP followed up with him four months later, one of the actions still hadn't been taken.

“(Our investigation) took so long because we had to go through mountains of emails and interview hundreds of people,” said Trooper Jim Long.

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School district officials said they were not aware of the email Terwilliger received.

“He put a lot of people’s lives at risk,” Long said. “Not just the students, but the staff and any visitors that came to the school, and that’s why we had to file these charges.”

Terwiliger is facing several charges, including endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment of another person and disorderly conduct.

He faces a preliminary hearing on May 29.

Cox Media Group