Mayor Defends Convicted Sex Offender Re-Elected as Town Fire Chief

A convicted sex offender who won re-election as a small Pennsylvania town’s fire chief is causing controversy after the mayor defended his victory.

Chief Roger Gilbert Jr., of Spartansburg, was convicted of having sex with a four-year-old girl in 2001 and served five to ten years in prison for “involuntary deviate sexual intercourse,” the Daily Mail reported.

Since his release, Gilbert, 43, registered as a sex offender and began volunteering with the Spartansburg Volunteer Fire Department in 2010.

The fire department recently re-elected Gilbert to serve as the town’s fire chief, which is an unpaid position.

His victim’s mother told the Corry Journal that Gilbert should not be in a position where he could interact with children and is outraged that the fire department and members of the community have allowed him to serve as a fire chief.

“They are just sweeping this under the rug,” she said. “They are putting other lives at stake by allowing him to be in this position. Children look up to and trust firefighters. He can’t be trusted because he is a child molester.”

Mayor Ann Louise Wagner says she and the firefighters who work with Gilbert were aware of his criminal history and defended the department’s vote.

‘I support the fire department and their decision to have him as chief,” Wagner told the Journal.

“I don’t know why she won’t drop this,” the mayor added, referring to the victim’s mother.

Gilbert claims he has changed since his conviction 20 years ago and has vowed “to do good.”

“That was 20 years ago,” Gilbert said. “You know, the story you are telling kids is once you make a 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.”

State police say it is up to each town to decide whether convicted sex offenders who have completed their sentences can hold public office at the local level.