Deliberations in former Leet police chief's appeal continue

Deliberations continue in the appeal from former Leet Police Chief Michael Molinaro to the township’s Civil Service Commission.

Molinaro, a Leet officer since 2013 and chief since March 2021, was fired on July 25, 2022, at a township commissioners’ workshop meeting.

He appealed his termination to the commission. It resulted in several nights of hearings and numerous legal filings.

Commissioners entered their fifth night of closed door deliberations Oct. 18.

The evening’s talks began shortly after a public discussion about meeting minutes and entry level testing for new officers.

Chairman Tom Weber said it was unclear when a vote on Molinaro’s appeal may take place.

He did elaborate on the mountain of materials commissioners were reviewing as part of the process.

It includes seven bound copies of testimony, one for each night of hearings, with each set having more than 100 double-sided pages of content.

More than five hours of bodycam footage and numerous briefs and findings of fact and other documents were submitted by attorneys.

Weber said the township commissioners spent at least 200 hours of their own time reading and rereading all submissions.

Both Molinaro’s defense attorney Erik Yurkovich and prosecutors — attorney David Mitchell of the firm Campbell Durrant and township Solicitor Stephen Chesney — made their respective cases Aug. 1.

Township officials have accused him of conduct unbecoming of an officer including incompetence, insubordination, attempting to steal money during a search warrant, disobedience of orders, submitting false information/documents and lying to the township board.

Molinaro denies any wrongdoing.

Weber addressed social media rumors about a Civil Service vote scheduled for Oct. 18. That evening’s agenda listed Molinaro appeal deliberations, but no motion. No attorneys for either side were present at the Oct. 18 meeting.

Weber said a notice will be posted on the front door of the township’s office building, as well as the township’s website, when the commission is ready to make that motion.

Any other announcements are not as reliable, Weber said.

Molinaro’s termination was ratified at an Aug. 6, 2022, township commissioners’ regular voting session following scrutiny about how commissioners handled the situation the previous month.

Brian Jameson was named interim chief and is still in that position.

Molinaro filed a federal lawsuit against the township in June 2022 alleging he was placed on administrative leave because of his support of their political opponents. He also claimed in the lawsuit the township violated his civil rights, claiming retaliation against his politics and his speaking out against reinstating an officer.

That lawsuit was dismissed earlier this year.