Keith DiMarco, the mayor of Glassport Borough, was arrested this week for allegedly violating a protection-from-abuse order filed by his wife and 22-year-old stepdaughter, according to sources. The arrest comes as a separate investigation continues into a hidden camera that DiMarco's stepdaughter reported finding inside a bathroom in the mayor's home.
Sources told KDKA-TV that DiMarco's arrest was tied specifically to the PFA violation, not to the camera investigation itself. As of the report, sources said no charges had been filed in connection with the camera found inside the mayor's home. Law enforcement raided DiMarco's residence as part of the broader inquiry, though the arrest itself stemmed from the protective order sought by his wife and stepdaughter.
The chain of events reportedly began on Friday, August 14, when the Glassport Borough Police Department received a call about a hidden camera allegedly discovered inside the mayor's home. Because Pennsylvania borough mayors hold direct administrative authority over their local police departments under the Pennsylvania Borough Code, the Allegheny County Police Department took over the investigation due to a conflict of interest, according to sources cited by KDKA-TV. That structural detail explains why a county-level agency, rather than Glassport's own force, ended up leading the probe into its own mayor.
What a PFA Violation Actually Means Under Pennsylvania Law
A Protection From Abuse order is a civil court mandate, but under Pennsylvania law, an intentional violation of one is prosecuted as indirect criminal contempt of court. That charge, laid out in 23 Pa.C.S. § 6114, carries penalties of up to six months in jail and mandatory fines between $300 and $1,000 per violation, with the matter decided by a Court of Common Pleas judge rather than a jury. Separately, 23 Pa.C.S. § 6113 gives police officers the authority to make an immediate arrest without a warrant whenever they have probable cause to believe someone has violated an active PFA order, which is the legal mechanism that allowed for DiMarco's swift arrest once the alleged violation was reported.
Glassport Borough Council President Anthony Colecchi said the borough has and will continue to fully cooperate with the investigation. His statement, issued this past week, did not elaborate on the specifics of either the PFA matter or the camera report, leaving many of the underlying details unresolved for now.
A Political Dynasty Facing an Unprecedented Test
DiMarco was sworn in as Glassport's mayor in early 2018, becoming the fourth member of the DiMarco family to hold elected municipal office in the borough, according to the Mon Valley Independent. The family's long-standing presence in Glassport government makes this week's arrest a notable break from the borough's usual political rhythms. It is not the first time a Glassport official has faced arrest during DiMarco's tenure — in August 2022, council member Katherine Handra was arrested and charged with simple assault, harassment and public drunkenness following a fight at a local bar, an incident DiMarco publicly acknowledged at the time, as reported by WPXI.
DiMarco's more recent dealings with borough council appeared routine. Just this past November, he swore in Jennifer Stockett to fill a vacant council seat following a unanimous vote led by Colecchi, per the Mon Valley Independent's report on the appointment.
Why Council Can't Simply Remove Him
Despite the arrest, Glassport Borough Council has no legal path to strip DiMarco of his elected office based on pending charges or PFA allegations alone. Article VI, Section 7 of the Pennsylvania Constitution reserves mandatory removal from municipal office for cases involving a criminal conviction for an infamous crime or misbehavior in office, and Pennsylvania courts have held that this constitutional removal process is exclusive, overriding any attempt by local council to act on its own. If DiMarco were to resign or be removed through that process, the Pennsylvania Borough Code requires council to appoint a registered borough elector within 30 days to fill the unexpired term, with a municipal vacancy board or court stepping in if council fails to act.
Glassport, a working-class borough of roughly 4,200 residents along the Monongahela River about 10 miles south of Pittsburgh, has faced years of economic restructuring following the decline of Mon Valley steel manufacturing. More than 15% of its residents live below the federal poverty level, according to 2024 Census estimates cited by the Human Services Center Mon Valley, underscoring the strain a leadership controversy can place on a small municipal government already stretched thin. No charges tied to the hidden camera report had been filed as of the most recent reporting, and it remains unclear how the indirect criminal contempt proceeding tied to the PFA violation will unfold in court.
