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Berks County official suspended over social media posts
Chris O'Connell reports
BERKS COUNTY, Penn. - Facebook posts so offensive, they can’t be shown on television from a Berks County elected official. The Distrtict Attorney says the wheels are in motion to remove the official behind the posts.
Wednesday, the county responded to social media posts Constable Pete Dardas reportedly exhibited on his Facebook page. In a statement, Berks County officials suspended Dardas.
"On this 8th day of July, 2020 effective immediately and until further notice, Constable Pete Dardas has been suspended from perfroming any constable related services for the court of the Common Pleas or the Magisterial District Courts with Berks County, Penn. due to the failure to comply with the United Judicial System Constable Policies, Procedures and Standards of Counduct."
Dardas was elected constable back in 2009. His constituents took issue with social media posts and even the District Attorney called the posts racist.
Dardas’ personal Facebook page shows him in a law enforcement uniform. But, his stream is filled with racially charged posts. One mentions starting a race war.
Another says “I want January to be named white history month.”
One mentions a white supremacist group and says “If the Far Left keeps pushing me, I might just have to join.”
Another was flagged by Facebook.
“It makes me feel sad. I wasn’t raised that way. My kids were not raised that way,” stated one neighbor.
Neighbors in Dardas’ community says, along with an African American lawn jockey outside his front door, his decorations drew attention.
“I just know he had a confederate flag and a lot of people did not approve. And, it came down. It was there for several years,” stated another neighbor.
Constables are part-time subcontracted peace officers, serving warrants and transporting prisoners.
But, the District Attorney says Dardas only worked a couple times at the Election Day polls in the last 10 years.
Residents he worked for and got paid by are glad an investigation has been launched.
“Oh, I’m not happy about it. Everybody has the right to their own opinion, but posting it’s another thing,” the first neighbor said.
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