Former Sewer Authority Director, Democrat Party Chair Pleads Guilty to Theft from Fire Company, Gets House Arrest

The former executive director of Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority has agreed to plead guilty on a theft charge and will spend at least three months confined to his home as punishment.

On Friday, Joseph Spotts appeared before Schuylkill County Common Pleas Judge William Burke for a scheduled status conference on his case. Spotts was accused of stealing $2,100 from the then-Humane Fire Co. in Pottsville.

According to the Schuylkill County District Attorney’s Office, Spotts entered a guilty plea on the felony theft charge he was facing. A receiving stolen property charge against him was withdrawn. Full restitution to the fire company has been made.

Spotts was sentenced to 3-23 months home confinement. That sentence begins in early-January.

The charges against Spotts were originally filed in April, triggering his prompt resignation from several prominent positions in Pottsville.

At the time, Spotts served as the Executive Director of the Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority, Chairman of the Pottsville Democratic Committee, and a member of the city’s Redevelopment Authority.

Pottsville Police charged Spotts with felony theft and receiving stolen property after investigating missing funds at Humane Fire Co., where Spotts had been a member for 48 years and served as bar manager.

According to police, fire company officials became suspicious of accounting discrepancies in March. Police alleged that Spotts stole approximately $2,100 from the fire company’s Skill machine cash proceeds over a three-week period.

Investigators cited security footage that allegedly showed Spotts entering the fire company office, an area police say he was not authorized to access, opening a safe, and removing cash from the machine’s lockbox.

In one instance captured on video, police said Spotts was seen counting the money, returning some to the box, and pocketing the remainder before leaving.

When confronted by fire company leadership, and later by police, Spotts reportedly admitted to taking the money. He told investigators he had “borrowed” the funds because he was short on cash and intended to pay it back.

Following the filing of charges, the Sewer Authority board voted unanimously to accept Spotts’ resignation from his $110,000-a-year position. Authority Solicitor Ed Brennan stated at the time that while there was no evidence Spotts took Authority funds, the board had to act quickly because the executive director “controls millions of dollars” and the allegations involved a breach of trust.

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