Former Leechburg police chief sees latest felony charge dropped

Former Leechburg police chief Michael Diebold’s most recent felony charge, claiming he had not reported all of the internet sites and apps he had been using, has been dismissed.

After pleading guilty in December 2018 to soliciting sex online from a state trooper who was posing as a 14-year-old girl, Diebold, 48, was sentenced to serve nine to 23 months in jail and three years on probation in addition to registering under Megan’s Law as a sex offender.

In January 2020, state police in Armstrong County charged him with two felony counts of failing to provide accurate information when he registered.

Diebold pleaded guilty to those charges and was sentenced to serve 18 to 36 months in prison.

One of the requirements of being listed as a Megan’s Law offender is that he report all websites he uses within three business days of joining or using them and to report all screen names used for identification on the sites and apps.

Diebold was accused again this past January of registering only one of the 66 sites he had admitted to using, state police said.

According to court documents, Diebold’s attorney argued the internet identifier language in the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is “unconstitutionally vague.” The attorney also claimed the language “imposes an unreasonable, next to impossible burden on registrants.”

The charge was dismissed Dec. 3 by Armstrong County Court of Common Pleas Judge James J. Panchik.