According to WFMZ, “Shupp, 47, is accused of stealing just over $122,000 from the borough from 2015-2023, the DA said.” Saucon Voice covered the resignation of Chief Shupp during an emergency Hellertown Borough Council meeting held October 6, 2023 [read story].
A recently filed criminal docket sheet lists more than 15 felony charges that have been filed, including: theft by deception, tampering with records, and receiving stolen property.
Reporting continues that, “he made several fake cash requests, which he said were for undercover drug investigations, according to police paperwork. Shupp forged the signatures of several police officers on those request forms,” the Northampton County DA said.
At its last meeting, Hellertown Borough appointed Officer Dominick Fragano as the interim police chief. Additionally, the Borough authorized the PA Police Chief Association to assist with a police chief search and authorized the Police Chief’s Association to conduct a full Operational Assessment of the Hellertown Police Department.
According to Shupp’s attorney, Gary Asteak as quoted in The Morning Call, “We believe that the charges do not necessarily and accurately set fourth the full story, and we look forward to the opportunity to address this in court.” Asteak seemed to try to shift some of the blame back to the Borough. “Asteak said the borough was suffering from a longstanding failure of administrative oversight and lack of audits, and a great deal of misunderstandings have arisen as a result.”
At the time of this writing, the Borough of Hellertown has made no other comment than a post on its Facebook page. It states:
December 11, 2023:
The Borough of Hellertown is aware that earlier today the Northampton County District Attorney’s office filed a number of felony charges against the Borough’s former police chief, Robert Shupp, for theft and other related charges. We take our role as stewards of taxpayer money very seriously. To that end, once the Borough discovered these issues, we conducted an internal investigation and contacted appropriate authorities. We want to thank the District Attorney’s office for their work on this matter. We will have no further comment as we allow the criminal process to play out. Any questions should be directed to the Northampton County District Attorney’s office.
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