Online child-sex sting nabs town’s police chief
CRIME /
Just six months ago, after Michael Diebold, a fireworks-business owner, lost his left hand and part of his left arm in a fireworks accident at an event, he became a local celebrity.
Diebold is also the police chief of the small Pennsylvania town of Leechburg northeast of Pittsburgh, and he drew sympathy from community members, some of whom raised funds to help with his medical expenses. A church hosted a fundraising dinner, while others sold T-shirts that said: “We Stand By Ours. #teamdiebold1565.”
Just 18 days after the accident, Diebold got married, and about 200 people attended the ceremony. He smiled at his bride, who was dressed in an off-theshoulder white dress, as she placed a wedding band on his right ring finger, and attendees raised their phones to catch the moment.
Diebold made the news again recently. This time, he wasn’t smiling — and it’s unlikely that anyone else in the town of 2,000 was.
The 40-year-old has been accused of soliciting sex from a teenage girl online. He was arrested Friday on felony charges, including unlawful contact with a minor and criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Both are first-degree felonies.
“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 a statement.
The arrest followed an investigation that involved an undercover officer who posed as a 14-year-old girl, authorities said. The investigation began after Diebold, using the username KuteCop4You, posted an ad on a social-media app, CBS affiliate KDKA in Pittsburgh reported, citing the criminal complaint. Authorities said he and the undercover agent talked multiple times, with Diebold sending inappropriate photos and asking to meet for sex.
Diebold was arrested after he showed up at the meeting location. He then admitted that he had been posting personal ads online for several years, and he acknowledged talking about sex with the purported 14-yearold, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported, citing the complaint.
“Diebold admitted that he knew that sexual contact with a 14-year(old) child was wrong and illegal and that his life was totally over,” the complaint said.