CLEARFIELD – A Decatur Township Supervisor charged with stealing was ordered to resign as part of his plea agreement that was accepted Tuesday during sentencing court.
Douglas Lynn McClellan, 63, was charged with misdemeanor counts of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and unsworn falsification to authorities after an incident at the Clearfield County Career & Technology Center last year.
Tuesday McClellan pleaded guilty to unsworn falsification to authorities before President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman. He was sentenced to serve one-year probation and ordered to pay over $1,000 in restitution.
Although McClellan’s attorney, Chris Pentz, noted that this case has “nothing to do with his position as a township supervisor,” Ammerman stated that if he was going to accept the plea agreement, McClellan would have to resign.
As part of his sentencing order, Ammerman specified that McClellan must submit a letter of resignation to Decatur Township. He is also prohibited from entering the property of the CCCTC.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, police responded to the CCCTC for a report that a teacher in the diesel mechanic shop, McClellan, was caught stealing diesel fuel.
It was reported that McClellan removed fuel from a truck on Jan. 26, 2018 by pumping it into five, 55-gallon drum barrels and then had students help him load the barrels onto his trailer.
Surveillance video also showed McClellan removing jugs of motor oil and bags of fertilizer through the diesel shop door on Feb. 9.
In an interview with officials, McClellan was asked what the policy was for taking items from the school. McClellan said a previous director had a policy that included taking photos and filling out a form.
McClellan then explained that the CCCTC received donations from Wal-Mart that included items such as grass seed and fertilizer that were sometimes split with local churches or the Masonic Lodge.
When asked if he had taken anything and filled out a form, McClellan said he took some soil and fertilizer but did not fill out the paperwork.
He was then asked about the oil, and he admitted he had taken some oil but said it was for the Chester Hill Volunteer Fire Department since “stuff sits around for months with no one using it.”
McClellan said he had drained the fuel from the truck because it was “no good,” claiming it had algae in it.
When asked if he had permission to do this, he said he was sorry and admitted he did not have permission. He was then placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.