ASHLAND -- A deputy sheriff left his job Thursday in the midst of a state police investigation into his conduct and relationship with a boy. The deputy is also the mayor of Ashland.
Some people say Dennis Kane is well respected. He's the mayor of Ashland, and was a Schuylkill County deputy sheriff for 30 years.
Now there is word of a state police investigation into the Facebook messages between Kane and a 16-year-old boy.
“It was very sexual and it was very inappropriate of a man his age and his position to be talking to a minor the way he was… Wanting to know how many sexual partners he had, who they were and quote, ‘I’ll be thinking about it.’”
We talked to a woman who filed the complaint. We're not identifying her to protect the teen's privacy.
“Shame, shame on you, Dennis. That's about all I got to say. Don’t blame me for this. You should have thought what you were doing before you got behind that keyboard.”
We went to Dennis Kane’s home and no one answered the door. Late in the day Kane called and denied doing anything wrong and said he will not resign his position as mayor of Ashland. Kane also denies his retirement as deputy sheriff is connected to the state police investigation.
“He’s been talking about resigning, retiring rather, for quite some time now because of his 30 years of service,” said Schuylkill County Sheriff Joe Groody.
When asked if the retirement was due to the investigation, the sheriff said, “I cannot confirm or deny that.”
Sheriff Groody is Kane's former boss.
“He did a good job of running this office and he always acted in a professional manner and still does, as far as I'm concerned.”
There is no word on when state police will conclude their investigation into the conduct of Dennis Kane.