Lower Frederick Settles Lawsuit with Former Officer

Lower Frederick Township entered into a settlement agreement with former police officer Marc D. Messenger, according to Board of Supervisors Chairman Ernest Schmitt.

The board unanimously approved a motion at the board’s Nov. 27 work session that Schmitt read aloud at the Dec. 4 meeting: 

“On November 27, the board of supervisors made the motion to ratify entering into a settlement agreement with Marc C. Messenger to settle all litigation, arbitrations and any other pending or future claims in relationship to his employment as a Lower Frederick Township Patrolman”

“This bring to an end a saga that we could talk about for hours but, because of the nature of the agreement, we can’t,” Schmitt said.

According to minutes of the Sept. 7, 2010 supervisors meeting, the board voted unanimously to terminate Messenger’s employment from lower Frederick Township an advertised executive session on Aug. 16.

A Perkiomen Valley Patch article reported that Messenger was terminated last year after an internal affairs investigation determined the officer exhibited “some serious problems and serious behavioral issues,” according to Maxey.

 Messenger filed a suit against Lower Frederick Township, police chief Paul Maxey and township manager Tamara Twardowski on Sept. 22, 2010 in the Eastern District Court, according to court records.

Lower Frederick Township Solicitor Thomas Keenan publically addressed the lawsuit at a later meeting, stating that Messenger sued the township.  Keenan said  he believed the township had good cause for the termination, but that this was a “big issue” for the board of supervisors.