Fawn supervisors fire township police officer for alleged misconduct

Fawn supervisors voted Tuesday to fire suspended police officer Keith Lazaron II for alleged willful misconduct.

Lazaron, 35, of Allegheny Township, has denied any wrongdoing and leveled his own allegations against township officials in a pending federal lawsuit.

Lazaron was suspended June 1, with the township alleging Lazaron changed a police report weeks after filing it to include information about Supervisors Chairman David Montanari, who Lazaron said had threatened to assault a neighbor for having a recreational fire. Lazaron has said Montanari told him to cite the neighbor, but the officer determined there was no violation and responded to a 911 dispatch for backup in Tarentum.

Lazaron’s lawsuit claimed Montanari made the threat toward his neighbor more than a week after the initial incident.

“Because I didn’t follow the agenda of the chairman of the board of supervisors, I’m in the situation that I’m in,” Lazaron said.

Montanari said, “I find nothing satisfying losing an employee. This is an employee who I recommended for the full-time position here.”

The township also said Lazaron told Police Chief Tim Mayberry that he had information on Mayberry investigating and correcting the 911 records of a mutual-aid request, a process reserved for high-ranking municipal and police officials. When the chief asked Lazaron how he got the information, Lazaron allegedly declined to tell him and said “he knows people in places.”

In an affidavit submitted to the township, Lazaron denied withholding any information from the chief regarding the township’s investigation of Lazaron’s conduct and work. He added that Mayberry, himself, had alerted Lazaron to his investigation of the 911 records for the mutual-aid request.

Supervisors Montanari, Chuck Venesky and David Norris voted in favor of firing Lazaron, while Supervisors Phillip Smozski and Jay Swager abstained.

Lazaron said supervisors decision to fire him was “heart-wrenching” because police officers are told to be honest, neutral and non-biased.

Lazaron’s attorney, Craig Alexander, said township supervisors didn’t follow the Police Tenure Act procedures to fire a police officer.

“Our position is that the termination is not legal and that matter will be litigated in federal court,” Alexander said. “It’s clear it was orchestrated by Montanari.”

Supervisors followed state law requirements to dismiss Lazaron, according to township solicitor Steve Yakopec.

In addition to the federal lawsuit Lazaron filed late this summer, he also is appealing the denial of state unemployment benefits.