TREVORTON -- Former Zerbe Township police officer Mark Botts said he left the department not only because he grew tired of nuisance calls, but also because of a lack of communication with the township supervisors.
Botts, 37, of Lewisburg, a township employee for less than a year, submitted his resignation to supervisors Monday.
Though Supervisors Craig Scott and M. Joan Miller said Tuesday that the hiring of a new police officer is imminent, Botts said he was unaware of the board's plans before reading about it in The Daily Item Wednesday morning.
"I asked them at least on three separate occasions and until I read the article, that's the first I heard about the second officer," Botts said.
Despite Scott's and Miller's assertions that Botts had adequate input into police department renovations, Botts said Wednesday that he was left out of the process, and was at times better informed by the building contractor than by supervisors, specifically in regard to the addition of a shower stall at the police station.
"If it wouldn't have been for me talking to the contractor, I wouldn't have known anything about the shower stall being taken out (of renovation plans)," Botts said.
"He had all the input in there that he wanted," Scott said Tuesday.
The township has been renovating the TDS Telecom brick building, at Shamokin and Oak streets, that was donated by the Mahanoy and Mahantongo Telephone Co., of Madison, Wis., for police or administrative functions.
Botts, who has nearly 10 years of experience in law enforcement in Kulpmont, Hartleton, Lykens, Williamstown, New Bloomfield and Oliver Township, Perry County, where he remains employed, said he was not overwhelmed by calls, just annoyed by them.
Among those nuisance calls were those for dog complaints, skateboarding and name-calling.
"It was just a lot of that and a lot of little petty stuff," Botts said.
He admitted he was disappointed to not be considered for the chief position, and was frustrated with the board's delay in hiring a chief.
Former chief Degg Stark resigned Dec. 31, leaving the township with one part-time police officer, Botts.
Though he has some hard feelings toward the township supervisors, but chalked up much of his difficulties in Zerbe Township to a lack of experience.
"The whole concept of a police department is new to all of them," Botts said. "They really don't have a concept of a police department. I can't fault them for that. It's a new business for them too."
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