March 3, 2016

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Jury Trial for Embattled Douglass Township Supervisor Scheduled For Next Month
By Bradley Schlegel
Correspondent

Frederick W. Ziegler, the

embattled Douglass Township supervisor facing criminal
charges, will have his day in
court next month in Norristown.
A jury trial against Ziegler in
the Montgomery County Court
of Common Pleas is scheduled
to commence on Monday, April
4 at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 4, according to information posted
on The Unified Judicial System
of Pennsylvania Web Portal.
Jury selection will begin that
day, according to Vincent DiFabio, the Paoli attorney defending
Ziegler, 63. Judge Gary S. Silow
will officiate the trial.
I am getting ready to go to
court, DiFabio said.
The defendant is accused
of stealing municipal property
for personal use, as well as intimidating witnesses, forging
a subpoena and making false
statements to law enforcement
officials.
The former police chief in
Douglass Township who previously workedas an investigator
for the Montgomery Countys
Extradition Unit, Ziegler will
face charges of theft by unlawful
taking, receiving stolen property, intimidation and retaliation
against witnesses, forgery, unsworn falsification to authorities,
tampering with public records
obstruction of administrative
law and conflict of interest from
September 2012 to the end of
2014.
In January, Silow granted
a motion argued by Michelle
Laucella a deputy with the
Pennsylvania Attorney Generals
office prosecuting the case to
consolidate two sets of charges
in the trial.
DiFabio argued unsuccessfully to keep the charges separate. He said the litigation of a
number of pre-trial motions has
delayed the start of the trial. According to the defense attorney,
one issue included his filing of
a Habeas Corpus Petition a
motion to dismiss some or all of
the charges against Ziegler on
July 7, 2015.
Wendy Demchick-Alloy a
county common pleas judge issued an order denying the petition, according to information
posted on the judicial website.

According to law enforcement officials, Ziegler stole plywood, a chainsaw and a propane
tank, and illegally utilized a municipal gas card for his personal
vehicle between August of 2012
and November of 2013.
Four months after filing
the initial charges, authorities rearrested the elected official on charges of the unlawful use of a Montgomery
County Court subpoena and
attempted intimidation of Douglass Township Manage Pete
Hiryak, a witness in the initial
case against him.
According to law enforcement officials, Ziegler initially
stole plywood, a chainsaw, a
propane tank and illegally utilized a municipal gas card for
his personal vehicle between
August of 2012 and November
of 2013.
At a preliminary hearing last April, DiFabio argued
unsuccessfully that his client
lawfully borrowed the new
chainsaw which he broke
and replaced approximately 18
months later to clear trees on
his property related to a drainage problem created several
years ago by municipal officials.
T h e d e fe ns e attor n e y
claimed that since township
officials never asked his client
to reimburse the municipality
for four unauthorized fuel purchases, authorities cannot prove
an intent to deprive.
According to DiFabio,
Ziegler gave Hiryak a blank
check to cover the cost of the
plywood on Nov. 20, 2013 the
same day a group of township
officials met with Montgomery
County detectives to discuss the
situation.
During the preliminary
hearing before Collegeville
District Judge Cathleen Kelly
Rebar, Hiryak testified that he
never filled in an amount on the
check. Flannery called the check
issuance self serving, just like
everything else Mr. Ziegler has
done in this case.
Mike Heydt, Douglass
Townships road master, testified
that Ziegler took the 100-gallon
propane tank paid for with
township funds saying that he
wanted to utilize it at his hunting
cabin in New York.
The supervisor replaced the

tank with two smaller tanks, according to Heydt.

Law enforcement officials
filed the initial set of charges
against Ziegler in September of
2014.
In January of 2015, authorities charged Ziegler a former
police chief in Douglass Township who also worked as an
investigator for theMontgomery
Countys Extradition Unit of
the unlawful use of a Montgomery County Court subpoena
and attempted intimidation of
Hiryak, a witness in the initial
case against him.
Less than a month after
the September 2 arrest, Ziegler,

a c c omp an i e d by sup e r v i sors Chairman John Stasik,

Jr., demanded an impromptu
meeting withHiryakat the township building, according to court
papers.
In the meeting, Ziegler announced he was conducting his
own investigation, and that the
supervisor began to question
the manager about his personal
and professional life, authorities
claim. With two out of three
supervisors present,Hiryakfelt
compelled to answer the questions, the document states.
On Oct. 1, Ziegler again returned to the township building
at 1320 East Philadelphia Ave.

and demanded another meeting withHiryak. The supervisor

wanted to discuss allegations of
Ziegler stealing shotguns from
the Douglass Township Police
Department and buying a rifle
atPachellaArms without paying
for it, according to the affidavit.
It st ates t hat Z ieg ler
showed Hiryak a copy of the
allegedly forged subpoena and
receipts from the gun dealer,
along with a copy of the report
he obtained from the Boyertown
police.
Hir yak told authorizes
he felt uncomfortable, cautious, and on guard speaking to
Ziegler on Oct. 1.

April 7, 2016

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Health Issues for Defense Attorney Delay Zieglers Criminal Trial

By Bradley Schlegel
Correspondent

The criminal trial of an embattled Douglass Township supervisor accused of stealing municipal property for personal use,
intimidating witnesses, forging a
subpoena and making false statements to law enforcement officials
has been delayed indefinitely.
Health concerns recently experienced by the defense attorney
representing Fredrick W. Ziegler
led to the continuance.
Vincent DiFabio will be laid
up until at least the middle of
April after doctors discovered four
blockages in his heart, according to
Rosemary Mascherino, a paralegal
at the attorneys Paoli law firm.
She said DiFabio could return
to work until the middle of April,
and that the trial in the Montgomery County Common Pleas
Court before Judge Gary S. Silow
might be rescheduled for June or
July at the earliest.
Jury selection in the case against
Ziegler, a former Douglass Township
police chief who has also worked
as an investigator for Montgomery
Countys Extradition Unit, was
scheduled to commence this week.
According to Mascherino,
the lawyers assistant, DiFabio
experienced chest pain during the
final full week of March and drove

himself to the Bryn Mawr hospital. She said doctors discovered

four blockages, two of which she
described as major, and implemented four stints.
Ziegler faces charges of theft
by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, intimidation and retaliation against witnesses, forgery,
unsworn falsification to authorities, tampering with public records
obstruction of administrative law
and conflict of interest from September 2012 to the end of 2014.
According to law enforcement
officials, Ziegler stole plywood,
a chainsaw and a propane tank,
and illegally utilized a municipal
gas card for his personal vehicle
between August of 2012 and November of 2013.
Four months after filing the
initial charges, authorities rearrested
the elected official on charges of
the unlawful use of a Montgomery
County Court subpoena and attempted intimidation of Douglass
Township Manage Pete Hiryak, a
witness in the initial case against
him.
According to law enforcement
officials, Ziegler initially stole plywood, a chainsaw, a propane tank
and illegally utilized a municipal
gas card for his personal vehicle
between August of 2012 and November of 2013.

At a preliminary hearing last

April, DiFabio argued unsuccessfully that his client lawfully borrowed the new chainsaw which
he broke and replaced approximately 18 months later to clear
trees on his property related to a
drainage problem created several
years ago by municipal officials.
The defense attorney claimed
that since township officials never
asked his client to reimburse the
municipality for four unauthorized
fuel purchases, authorities cannot
prove an intent to deprive.
According to DiFabio, Ziegler
gave Hiryak a blank check to cover
the cost of the plywood on Nov.
20, 2013 the same day a group
of township officials met with
Montgomery County detectives to
discuss the situation.
During the preliminary hearing before Collegeville District
JudgeCathleen Kelly Rebar, Hiryak
testified that he never filled in an
amount on the check. Flannery
called the check issuance selfserving, just like everything else
Mr. Ziegler has done in this case.
Mike Heydt, Douglass Townships road master, testified that
Ziegler took the 100-gallon propane tank paid for with township
funds saying that he wanted to
utilize it at his hunting cabin in
New York.

Learning to Use Fire Extinguishers - Frontier Girls Troop #144 would like to thank East

Greenville Fire Company firefighters Shawn Shade, Rob Shafer and Hunter Snyder for coming
out to teach the girls how to use a fire extinguisher. Thank you to Bob Murphy for teaching about
compasses and the North Star. The training, which was held on Friday, April 1, 2016, is in conjunction with the earning of their Emergency Preparedness badge.

The supervisor replaced the

tank with two smaller tanks, according to Heydt.
Law enforcement officials
filed the initial set of charges
against Ziegler in September of
2014.
In January of 2015, authorities
charged Ziegler a former police

chief in Douglass Township who

also workedas an investigator for
theMontgomery Countys Extradition Unit of the unlawful use of
a Montgomery CountyCourtsubpoena and attempted intimidation
of Hiryak, a witness in the initial
case against him.

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www.upvnews.com

Volume 117, No. 38 - December 15, 2016

Residents Canvassing East Greenville for Police Support

THIS WEEK
Holiday
Coloring
Contest

Page 28

SPORTS

75 cents

By Bradley Schlegel
Staff Writer

Lon Brinckman II believes a majority

of East Greenvilles residents and business
owners favor keeping the Upper Perk Police
District. Brinckman hopes to ultimately
determine that figure.
If a majority of people agree to get rid
of the department, then I would accept that,
he said.

Last weekend, Brinckman and three

fellow residents began canvassing the borough. On Saturday, Dec. 10, they covered
every residence east of Main Street. He said
they knocked on approximately 200 doors
and left between 60 and 80 door hangers.
According to Brinckman, they collected more than 120 signatures in support of
maintaining the police department, which
has covered East Greenville and Pennsburg

boroughs since 1973. He also said more than

90 percent of residents who answered their
doors expressed support for the department.
I figured it would be a majority,
Brinckman said. But I was not expecting
an overwhelming majority.
Brinckman and the other residents will
continue their survey on Saturday, Dec 17.
The Washington Street resident said he
Canvassing, continued on page 8

Douglass Supervisor Pleads Guilty

By Bradley Schlegel

Upper Perk boys' basketball post home-opener win.

Story on page 23

FEATURES

Pennsburg resident creating meticulously decorated

gingerbread houses.
Story on page 29

INSIDE
Business News................40
Church Directory..............42
Classifieds..................44-48
Comics .......................36-39
Community Calendar.......41
Dining & Entertainment..12,13
Letters to the Editor..........26
Obituaries....................22-24
Police Reports................4,5
Senior Menu....................36
SPCA Pets.......................32
What is it, Where.............32

Staff Writer

Frederick Ziegler, the embattled Douglass Township supervisor, pleaded guilty Wednesday in the Montgomery County
Common Pleas Court to one
count of unsworn falsification
to authorities, a second-degree
misdemeanor.
The ple a, w hich ended
Zieglers non-jury criminal trial,
includes his immediate resignation from the townships board
of supervisors and to not seek
public office again, according to

Jeffrey A. Johnson, the acting

deputy press secretary for the
Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.
Judge Gary Silow also imposed a sentence of one-year of
probation, according to Johnson.
The trial against Ziegler, who
had been facing charges of theft
by unlawful taking, receiving
stolen property, intimidation
and retaliation against witnesses,
forgery, unsworn falsification to
authorities, tampering with public
records, obstruction of adminis
Ziegler, continued on page 11

Having Turkey for the Holidays?

By Larry Roeder
Editor

Nearly everyone has heard

a story or two about the in-laws
who came to visit for the holidays
and forgot when to go home.
Maybe some of them are
considered turkeys but what do
you do when the real thing comes
to visit and, through no choice of
yours, decides to stay. How about
six of them.
Perhaps they were successful
escapees from a possible Thanksgiving Day fate.
Its an issue that Allen Gowan

and Barbara Harney are dealing

with right now at their home, just
off Bowers Mill Road in Upper
Hanover Township.
On a recent visit to the farmstead, Gowan told this writer that
the turkeys showed up about 10
days ago and have been there
since. They seem to live peacefully
among the sheep, goats, chickens,
cats and dog who call the Gowan
and Harney homestead, their
own.
They are beautiful birds.
Gowan believes that two of them
Turkeys, continued on page 2

Bob Esposito / Town and Country

Shop With a Cop - Upper Perk Police officer Harry Fisher

helps Austyn Hillegas with his holiday shopping during
the Officers Association Shop With a Cop held Sunday at
Walmart in East Greenville. Additional photo on page 14.

TOWN

December 15, 2016

Ziegler,

continued from page 1

trative law and conflict
of interest from September
2012 to the end of 2014, commenced earlier this month
following several delays.
On Dec. 6, the second
day of the trial in Norristown,
Zieglerfelt a severe pain going
down left arm and shortness
of breath, according to his attorneyVincent DiFabio.
Ziegler, 63, was taken
f rom t he cour t ro om and
transported to a nearby hospital, according to Johnson
prosecuting the case.
DiFabio said his client
was released the following
day. The attorney declined to
comment further on Zieglers
health.
The defendant took the
stand on Tuesday, when the
trial resumed, according to
Johnson. Zieglers entered his
plea the following day.

According to law enforcement officials,Ziegler who

was initially arrested in September of 2014 stole plywood, a chainsaw, a propane
tank and illegally utilized a
municipal gas card for his personal vehicle between August
2012 and November 2013.
In January 2015, authorities rearrested Ziegler on refiled charges of the unlawful
use of a Montgomery County
Court subpoena and attempted intimidation of township
Manager Pete Hiryak, a witness in the initial case against
him. Ziegler is a former police
chief in Douglass Township,
who also workedas an investigator for the Montgomery
Countys Extradition Unit.\
Less than a month after
the September 2, 2014 arrest, Ziegler, accompanied
by former supervisorsChairman JohnStasik, Jr.,demanded an impromptu meeting
with Hiryak at the township

Bob Esposito / Town and Country

Visit With Santa - Santa came out Saturday morn-

ing for his annual visit with children at Brode & Brooks
Realtors. Sisters Fiona and Olivia Swift share their Christmas wishes with Santa as did several other children who
stopped by.

AND

COUNTRY

building, according to court

papers.
In the meeting, Ziegler
announced he was conducting his own investigation, and
that the supervisor began to
question the manager about
his personal and professional
life, authorities claim. With
two out of three supervisors
present,Hiryakfelt compelled
to answer the questions, the
document states.
On Oct. 1, Ziegler again
returned to the township
building at 1320 East Philadelphia Ave. and demanded

11

another meeting withHiryak.

The super visor wanted to
discuss allegations of Ziegler
stealing shotguns from the
Douglass Township Police
Department and buying a
rifle atPachellaArms without
paying for it, according to the
affidavit.
It st ate s t h at Z i e g l e r

showedHiryaka copy of the

forged subpoena and receipts
from the gun dealer, along
with a copy of the report he
obtained from the Boyertown
police.
Hiryaktold authorizes he
felt uncomfortable, cautious,
and on guard speaking to
Ziegler on Oct. 1.