‘I broke that trust.’ Former Centre County fire chief sentenced for stealing from relief fund
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The former chief of the Gregg Township Fire Company was sentenced on Tuesday to restrictive probation for 23 and a half months, including six months of house arrest.
Darin Bressler, 52, was charged in November with a count of theft by unlawful taking and a count of receiving stolen property for stealing $25,910 from the fire company’s relief association.
In a statement to the court before his sentence was handed down, he apologized for the impact his actions had had on his family.
“We live in a close community and what I put my family through ... they had to face our community. I am truly sorry,” he said.
“I know that I was entrusted with power and duties and I broke that trust, and I’m seeking counseling,” he added.
The assistant district attorney, Crystal Hundt, asked Judge Brian Marshall to sentence Bressler to six months in jail in accordance with the recommended three to 12 month sentence for thefts over $25,000.
Bressler’s defense attorney, Jason Dunkle, argued for leniency, since the theft did not impact the “day to day operations” of the fire company.
Neither Hundt nor Dunkle could be reached for comment.
According to Dunkle, members of the fire company still reach out to Bressler for advice, and one member even attended the sentencing. The Gregg Township Fire Company did not immediately respond when asked if Bressler was still affiliated with the company.
Bressler was also fined $1,000 and will not be permitted to drink alcohol or use firearms for the duration of his probationary period.
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