Northhampton News

A former Weissport police chief has been found guilty on charges stemming from child rape, where he and a friend repeatedly raped a girl between the ages of 4 and 11.

Brent Getz of Lehighton was charged for several offenses in March 2019, including child rape, aggravated indecent assault of a child and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro's office reported in a release.

The charges came after years of investigations and information provided by a friend of Getz's, Gregory Wagner, who had previously pleaded guilty to similar charges with the same victim, Law & Crime reported. The victim was Wagner's niece.

"This verdict holds Brent Getz accountable for his horrific crimes against a child, and brought justice to a brave survivor who had the courage to come forward," Shapiro said in the release. "As a police chief and public servant, Getz’s abhorrent actions betrayed the public’s trust and safety. He will never again be able to use a position in law enforcement to hurt people. My office will always stand up for our children and our most vulnerable, and hold bad actors accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

Wagner pleaded guilty in November 2020 to repeatedly raping his niece throughout approximately seven years, Shapiro's office reported. Wagner also watched pornography with her that the victim recalled included teenagers. The investigation into Wagner began in May 2012 after the victim told a substitute teacher about the sexual assaults.

The victim, then 11-years-old, told the teacher she was being raped, and the teacher contacted ChildLine and Carbon County Children & Youth Services, Law & Crime reported. Franklin Township police reportedly interviewed Wagner in 2012, but no charges were filed. The victim took a video of an incident and sent it to a family member.

A complaint was also dismissed in 2015 when a district judge said there was an error regarding paperwork, Law & Crime reported. She provided information in 2018 that Getz was also raping her and showed a police officer the video from six years earlier.

A search warrant of Wagner's residence on March 26, 2019, found electronic devices that included Google searches of terms related to child pornography, Shapiro's office reported. Following an interview, Wagner admitted the repeated sexual abuse. Wagner agreed to testify against Getz; the two will be sentenced at a later date.

Getz's case was referred to the Office of the Attorney General by Carbon County District Attorney Jean Engler, as Getz was employed at several Carbon County police departments, Shapiro's office reported. Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Elo is the prosecutor in the case.