Lehigh Times

A former Weissport police chief is guilty on charges related to child rape, according to an announcement by Attorney General Josh Shapiro on March 11. Brent Getz of Lehighton was charged in March 2019 with rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child and several other related charges. 

“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,” said Attorney Shapiro. “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.”

According to the announcement, co-defendant Gregory Wagner pleaded guilty in November 2020 for repeatedly raping a child over the course of about seven years where he reportedly orally, vaginally and anally raped a girl between the ages of four and 11. 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. A search warrant of Wagner’s residence on March 26, 2019, revealed electronic devices that included Google searches of terms related to child pornography. Wagner was interviewed and then admitted to sexually abusing the victim repeatedly.

According to lawandcrime.com, the victim was Wagner’s niece. She reportedly told the teacher she was being raped when she was 11 years old and the teacher contacted Childline, Children and Youth Services in Carbon County. The Franklin Township Police reportedly interviewed Wagner in 2012 but no charges were filed. A complaint was also dismissed in 2015 when a district judge said there was a paperwork error. The victim took a video of an incident and sent it to a family member, lawandcrime.com reported. In 2018 she provided information that Getz was also raping her and showed a police officer the video from six years earlier.

The announcement states that Wagner agreed to testify against Getz and the two will be sentenced at a later date. The case of Getz was referred to the Office of the Attorney General by the Carbon County District Attorney Jean Engler, as he was a police officer employed at several police departments in Carbon County. Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Elo prosecuted the case.