Pennsylvania police chief busted for soliciting a minor after being caught in undercover sting

Police Chief Mike Diebold once served as the top cop in Leechburg, PA, but after an encounter with a minor he might end up behind bars himself.

According to the Pittsburg Daily-Gazette the 40 year old was arrested Friday after he tried to arrange a meeting with a 14-year-old girl he met online. The girl was an undercover officer during a sting, according to Lower Burrell police Chief Tim Weitzel.

“This case is particularly heinous because the perpetrator is a public official, sworn to serve and protect the community,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in the statement. “We have a zero tolerance policy for the sexual abuse of children and my office will prosecute any offender to the fullest extent of the law, no matter who they are.

It was Shapiro's office that took Diebold into custody.

“Thanks to the hard work of the agents and prosecutors in our Child Predator Section, one more predator is off our streets,” Shapiro continued. “We are working relentlessly to get every perpetrator out of our communities and to keep Pennsylvania's children safe.”

Diebold will be charged with unlawful contact with a minor and criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.