Homestead council votes to fire borough employee over unemployment fraud

Council members in Homestead have voted to fire an administrative worker who pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from the borough. 

Shunta Parms was charged with taking the money through false unemployment filings during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office tells KDKA that Parms pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of theft by unlawful taking and was sentenced to serve 7 years probation and pay $12,000 in restitution.

Council members wouldn't comment on why Parms was now fired, but the borough's solicitor says the charges were only one part of the story.

"We're not going to talk about personnel issues," said Homestead Borough Solicitor Samuel Dalfonso. "We typically don't. Not something we do on the floor or in the public. Council made a decision based on the circumstances and they felt like that was necessary." 

When asked why he thought he made the right decision, Council member Henry White said because Parms pleaded guilty.

"We can't have people stealing from the community so she had to be terminated," White said.

Homestead Fire Chief on leave

The borough's fire chief has been placed on a leave of absence.

Fire Chief Timothy Eads got into a physical fight with a security guard at his child's school in the Steel Valley district earlier this month.

The fire department says Eads is on leave pending an investigation.

Eads was at Thursday night's meeting, but his status wasn't discussed.