Suspended Arnold police chief resigns, new chief being named at council meeting
Josh Stanga, the once embattled Arnold police chief, has officially resigned his position after an investigation found that Stanga took cash and kept it from a reported stolen vehicle during an undercover operation.
Now, the City of Arnold and its police department are looking to move on and start a new chapter.
This all started over a year ago. The then-Arnold police chief was caught in what was described as a 'professional integrity test,' administered by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General.
In that test, agents and troopers placed nearly $300 of cash and pills inside a vehicle they abandoned in Arnold. Once the car was reported as abandoned, Stanga responded and allegedly took most of the cash before filing out his official paperwork.
When he was caught, Stanga said that he took the money because he believed his ex-wife was setting him up.
Stanga was charged with theft, evidence tampering, and obstruction, and went on administrative leave last August.
But Arnold Mayor Shannon Santucci said the department has gone long enough without an official chief. And that is why she said she recently gave Stanga two options.
"I asked him, in lieu of termination, if he would consider a resignation, and he chose the resignation," Santucci said
Mayor Santucci said that Officer Rob Haus, who has been running the department for the last year, will be named the new chief at Tuesday's city council meeting.
Santucci also said that the department knows Officer Haus and that both she and Haus are looking forward to building up the department from five full-time officers to eight.
"Eight would be ideal, getting fully staffed," Santucci said. "And the guys that I have right now, they have really just been very accommodating in missing vacations and things like that to make sure the department didn't go without anyone covering."
While the city and the department move on, Stanga's case is still in litigation. He is expected back in court in October.