Girardville says embattled ex-top cop plans to resign; new officer-in-charge appointed
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL FILE - Girardville Police Lt. Jeremy Talanca at a borough council meeting in January 2023.
GIRARDVILLE – Jeremy Talanca, the embattled police lieutenant here facing dozens of fraud charges near Berwick, plans to resign, the borough says, and he’s off-schedule until then.
The news came at Wednesday night’s borough council meeting.
Borough Solicitor Arlen Day said Talanca told council he intends to resign, and they are waiting on the letter.
In the meantime, he is off-schedule.
Talanca is free on bail as he faces 53 felony charges, 133 in total, in connection with his used car dealership in Berwick stemming from “auto sales gone wrong.”
He was the fourth person to lead the small police force since 2020.
One of those other officers, Brandon Gonzalez, was named acting officer-in-charge at Wednesday’s meeting.
Gonzalez, a corporal in the department, is one of only two officers left in the force, the other being James Patterson.
Mayor Judy Mehlbaum said Gonzalez was promoted to corporal at some point last year.
Some residents at the meeting expressed concerns over ongoing matters handled, or ignored, by the department under Talanca’s leadership.
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