EASTON, Pa. — Former Hellertown Police Chief Robert Shupp has been charged with stealing more than $122,000 from the borough.
Shupp, 47, of Bushkill Township, appeared in a Northampton County district court Monday to face 18 counts in all, including forgery, theft, tampering with official records and receiving stolen property.
Magisterial District Judge Susan Hutnik released Shupp ahead of his trial on recognizance bail, meaning he didn't have to post any money before being freed.
“We have fully cooperated with the investigation, and we intend to continue to cooperate with the investigation. This all arose out of misunderstandings and lack of administrative oversight and audits within the police department.”Gary Asteak, the attorney representing former Hellertown Police Chief Robert Shupp
“We have fully cooperated with the investigation, and we intend to continue to cooperate with the investigation,” said Gary Asteak, the attorney representing Shupp.
“This all arose out of misunderstandings and lack of administrative oversight and audits within the police department.”
Shupp next is scheduled to appear before District Justice Nicholas Engelsson for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 4.
False work sheets, drug probe funds
From 2020 to 2023, Shupp was paid for more than 1,600 hours he falsely claimed he worked, totaling more than $81,000, Northampton County Detective Paul Romanic wrote that in court documents laying out the charges.
Additionally, Shupp used falsified forms to request and receive roughly $22,000 in $20 bills from the borough for undercover drug investigations that didn’t exist, the charging documents say.
Prosecutors also allege that, as police chief, Shupp alone had access to the safe in which Hellertown police stored nearly $20,000 in seized cash, typically from defendants in drug cases.
When investigators opened that safe, Romanic wrote, they found only $32.58.
Shupp resigned as Hellertown’s police chief in October, after borough officials noticed a “discrepancy” in Shupp’s payroll, Borough Council Vice President Matt Marcincin said in an emergency meeting.
“Following this discovery, the borough council conducted a preliminary investigation, which revealed that these discrepancies were not caused by clerical errors but were more serious,” Marcincin said.
Hellertown officials referred the matter to the state Attorney General’s Office, which forwarded it to Northampton County investigators. County prosecutors filed charges against Shupp on Friday.
Staff writer Will Oliver contributed to this report.
