Former Leechburg police Chief Michael Diebold will remain in jail for an indefinite period pending a hearing to determine whether his parole will be revoked.
Diebold, 42, a convicted sex offender, was jailed late last week after he was accused of accessing a social media site that specializes in sadomasochism.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio signed a court order Tuesday to detain Diebold and postponed a revocation hearing that had been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday morning. The judge ordered Diebold’s hearing to be convened during the next criminal motions term, likely in mid-January.
“He should be out of jail,” defense attorney Duke George said Tuesday afternoon. “He didn’t commit a new crime. This was only a technical violation.”
Prosecutors contend Diebold violated terms of his parole by accessing the internet and specifically a social media dating site titled Fetlife.com.
Diebold last December pleaded guilty to charges that he attempted to solicit sex from what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. His arrest was the result of a sting operation in which a state police officer posed as a child to communicate online with adults seeking sex with juveniles.
Diebold served as Leechburg’s police chief at the time of his arrest. He was fired this year after he was sentenced. He served a nine- to 23-month jail term before being paroled in January. The judge also imposed a three-year probation sentence against Diebold that will begin once his parole is completed as well as conditions that prohibit him from using the internet and accessing social media sites for purposes not related to work.
During a brief court appearance via video conferencing Monday, defense lawyers argued Diebold should not be held in custody while he awaits a ruling from the judge on whether to revoke his parole and demanded an immediate hearing on the issue.
