The president of the Falls Township Fire Company is being asked to step down by township officials after two months of growing discomfort in the first responder community.
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The board of supervisors delivered a letter Wednesday to Gary N. Margerum, a longtime volunteer in the fire service, after being informed their fire company president may have a dark past.
LevittownNow.com, along with several other news organizations and Falls officials, have received copies of old newspapers and court documents in recent weeks from an anonymous sender that state Margerum was convicted of official oppression and corruption of minors in 1989. In addition, he pleaded no contest to indecent assault.
Arrest paperwork filed by county authorities in 1989 states a 15-year-old Levittown girl told them Margerum, then a 31-year-old Tullytown police officer, kissed and fondled her in a patrol vehicle at a park in Tullytown without her consent before dropping her off at a shopping center. The alleged incident happened in 1988.
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Board of Supervisors Chairman Bob Harvie said the township solicitor looked into the claims and verified them.
“The letter was a formal request to resign as president and volunteer,” Harvie said in an interview.
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While the fire company does receive some township funds, the township has little authority over many of its operations. Harvie said the township can’t easily force Margerum to resign, but their attorney is looking at options on what actions may be taken if he decides not to step down.
Margerum was reached by phone Wednesday and told LevittownNow.com that he did not have comment and that a law firm had been retained to handle the issue.
“We get along with the fire company and have a good relationship with the guys,” Harvie said. “I know this isn’t an easy time for them.”
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Margerum served probation and was ordered to serve 300 hours of community service. Online court records indicate that Margerum was required at the time not to work as a police officer or be near young girls.
Rumors of Margerum’s past began to swirl in August when the state put new regulations in place to provide firefighters with background checks. The new law was enacted to protect minors at fire scenes, fire company events and those who make the choice to serve their community through volunteerism.
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Some local fire officials privately raised concerns over allegations of Margerum’s past and whether the township should take action, sources said.
Volunteers from Falls Township Fire Company serve the township along with the Fairless Hills Fire Company and Levittown Fire Company No. 1.
