A Convicted Child Molester Is Now a Fire Chief and the Victim’s Mom Is Not Having It

(urfin_Rox/Shutterstock)

SPARTANSBURG, Pa. — A man convicted of a felony sex crime against a 4-year-old girl has been elected to his second term as chief of a Pennsylvania town’s volunteer fire department, The Corry Journal reports.

Roger Gilbert Jr. of Spartansburg was convicted in 2001 of “involuntary deviate sexual intercourse” for forcing a 4-year-old girl to perform oral sex, according to the Journal. He was sentenced to five to 10 years in prison.

Gilbert, 43, joined Spartansburg’s volunteer fire department in 2010 and is not paid for his job as chief. He said he has “changed his life for the better” since his conviction.

But the victim’s mother isn’t buying it.

“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?”

Spartansburg Mayor Ann Louise Wagner said she and members of the fire department have known about Gilbert’s status as a registered sex offender. She added that she supports their decision to re-elect him as chief.

“I don’t know why she won’t drop this,” Wagner said of the victim’s mother.

Displayed with permission from Rare