Police: 2 Allegheny County plumbing inspectors fudged their reports
Two Allegheny County plumbing inspectors have been arrested and charged with multiple felony counts of tampering with public records.
Michael O’Toole, 57, of Pittsburgh and Timothy Chelosky, 53, of McKeesport were taken into custody and taken to the Allegheny County Jail on Thursday, Allegheny County Police reported.
The arrests are part of an investigation that began in late June into the falsification of plumbing inspections.
Police said Allegheny County Health Department officials worked with detectives to review records and automated processes associated with inspections. Detectives also conducted surveillance of county plumbing inspectors and the sites where inspections were to take place.
Police said O’Toole and Chelosky were found to have tampered with information related to plumbing inspections.
O’Toole was charged with 11 counts of the crime while Chelosky was charged with four counts.
County spokeswoman Amie Downs said the employees have been suspended pending an internal investigation into violation of county policy.
Online court documents indicate charges were filed against the two men at District Judge Richard G. Opiela’s office. A preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Online documents did not list an attorney for either defendant.
Health department officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Anyone with information concerning the investigation should contact the county police tip line at 833-255-8477. Callers can remain anonymous.
Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.