Cass Township Solicitor Mark Semanchik refused to answer any questions regarding the so-called missing money from the police evidence room that was found during an inventory conducted on July 3.
During a brief exchange, Semanchik said he didn’t want to answer questions about it because he read a report that appeared on Coal Region Canary about the inventory conducted of the Cass Township evidence room in which he wasn’t asked for a comment.
But based on his previous stance about providing comments outside of Cass Township meetings about Cass Township business, it’s highly unlikely he would have actually given a comment that day after the inventory.
He didn’t even want to offer comments in the minutes following the meeting earlier this week.
“Here’s my suggestion …”
On Wednesday following the adjournment of the Cass supervisors meeting, we were directed to Semanchik by Chairwoman Brenda Helt for an answer on where the allegedly missing $575 in evidence money was found.
On July 3, an investigator from the Schuylkill County District Attorney’s Office conducted the inventory in an attempt to locate $575 in cash that was evidence in an old case. Previous attempts to find the money turned up nothing and Cass Township said it had to pay the DA’s Office the money to cover the allegedly missing funds.
This missing money and another issue were the impetus for initially suspending the police force in February and then disbanding it in May.
Helt told The Canary that Semanchik was present for the inventory of the evidence room as a representative of Cass Township that day.
So, The Canary asked Semanchik … Where was the money found?
“Here’s my suggestion: Whatever was said at the meeting, feel free to report,” he said.
Why did he take this attitude?
Semanchik said that he’d just read The Canary’s report on the inventory conducted by the DA’s investigator, during which the money was found.
Semanchik was apparently upset that The Canary didn’t come to him that day for a statement on the inventory taken.
And why didn’t The Canary turn to Semanchik for a comment?
Back in late-May, when the Cass supervisors voted to disband their police department, The Canary was not at the meeting in person.
So, a call was placed to Semanchik’s law office (and Helt’s personal number) and messages were left. Neither called back for comment on that vote. Helt explained that she works second shift and didn’t get a chance to call.
The Canary tracked Semanchik down to the Schuylkill Haven Borough Council meeting in early-June, hoping to get an answer from him there. He serves as Haven’s solicitor, too.
After the meeting, The Canary asked if he’d gotten the messages left at his office seeking a return call. Semanchik said after the Haven meeting had adjourned that he probably would have never called back.
He said he would only talk about Cass Township items during Cass Township meetings. But he did “applaud” The Canary for attending the Haven meeting to report on happenings there.
The reason he gave for taking that stance was not wanting to say something that would reflect negatively on the Cass supervisors.
So, why would anyone think he’d return a call outside of a Cass Township meeting, like after the inventory was taken of the police evidence room?
No one could be bothered to answer any simple questions regarding the disbanding of the police department, seemingly very vital information that the public needs to know.
Now, Semanchik won’t even answer questions about events that just happened at a Cass Township meeting that adjourned just minutes prior. But he apparently would have answered questions by phone following the inventory taken at the police evidence room?
The Canary continued to ask where the money was found knowing he likely wasn’t going to answer.
The Canary: Where was the money found?
Semanchik: Was that discussed here tonight?
The Canary: She (Helt) said you were there when the money was found. So can you say where the money was found?
Semanchik: I don’t remember that being discussed tonight.
FACT CHECK: It was, briefly. Instead, the Supervisors discussed at length how inefficient they believed the police department operated.
Semanchik went on, noting the July 3 report appearing on The Canary which broke the news that the money had been found.
“It’s funny how you had a report the day of that happening. Why didn’t you rely on asking me a question then. You publicly issued a statement the day the inventory took place,” Semanchik said. “You seem to know everything. Why are you here trying to get the truth?”
FACT CHECK: The Canary published a report that shared a statement given to us by District Attorney Mike O’Pake regarding the results of that inventory. This site did not “publicly issue a statement” about the inventory. Also, The Canary wasn’t asking to “get the truth” but instead to get the township’s side of the story at a forum we believed would be acceptable to the Solicitor’s terms, which he very frankly spelled out that night in Haven.
The Canary plainly explained to him why he wasn’t contacted immediately after the inventory was taken of the evidence room, noting his rather condescending “applaud you” response at the Haven meeting.
Semanchik then tried denying that he made his “applaud you” comment following the meeting in Haven.
The Solicitor then persistently interrupted any follow-up to the conversation and concluded this heated exchange by saying, “The meeting’s over. Thank you.”
Helt did say that the money was found in the evidence room and said that former Police Chief Ger Daley must have “overlooked it” during previous attempts to find it.
FULL COVERAGE:
- Cass Supervisors Bad-Mouth Police Dept. They Disbanded In May
- DA: $575 From Cass Township Police Evidence Room Found On Tuesday
- Cass Township Police Disbandment Leads To Evidence Room Dispute
- Cass Township Disbands Its Police Force
- Cass Twp. Suspends Police Operations Pending Investigation
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Truthseeker 22
August 3, 2024 at 10:18 am
The arrogance of the Cass solicitor is disgraceful As is the non-transparency in him refusing to answer a simple question the Canary asked him. Sounds like someone has something to hide and it probably begins with CA and ends with SS.
Jaw is dropped
August 5, 2024 at 10:18 am
“Why are you here trying to get the truth?”
Is the solicitor stating that the facts presented are NOT the TRUTH???
hmmm….
Nothing like transparency in local government!
I can’t believe what comes out of the mouths of these officials.
Pretty much saying what goes on is -NONE YA BUSINESS while we steal and waste what we can during our term. They could at least say “Thank you” to the taxpayers for lining their pockets. Their behaviour is unbelievable.
Canary Commenter
August 5, 2024 at 10:28 am
He seems to believe that what has been said by others is not the truth but apparently it’s never the right time to tell the truth. He won’t talk about it outside of a meeting. They don’t discuss it in the meeting. He won’t talk about it after the meeting. But apparently that one time after the inventory was taken, after he clearly established his own ground rules on when he would talk … That was the time he would have talked about it.