Police Chief Michael Diebold, 40, was arrested on Friday in Leechburg, Pennsylvania, as part of a child sex bust
The wife of a well-known one-armed Pennsylvania police chief says her family has been ‘shattered’ after her husband was charged with soliciting sex online from an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl online.
Leechburg Police Chief Michael Diebold’s wife, Danielle Reinke Diebold, released a statement Sunday saying, in part, ‘I have never hurt so bad in my life.’
The 40-year-old police chief was arrested on Friday at a spot where he allegedly hoped to meet with the girl he thought he’d been communicating with on the messaging app Kik, where he went by the user name ‘Kurecop4U.’
He is charged with two felonies – unlawful contact with a minor and criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse – and is being held in county jail on a bond of $500,000.
Diebold’s wife of less than seven months, with whom the jailed police chief has a young son, released a written statement to CBS Pittsburgh on Sunday, which read: ‘they say God will never give you more than you can handle, but he did this time. I have never hurt so bad in all my life.
Diebold is pictured with his wife Danielle on their wedding day in July last year. The spouse said in a statement on Sunday she was ‘shattered’ and ‘devastated’ by his arrest
A little over two weeks after losing a portion of his left arm, Diebold married Danielle at the Leechburg Volunteer Fire House on July 12, 2017
Danielle, pictured with her daughter (left) and Diebold (right) before his accident, said in her statement she is struggling to come to terms with his arrest
‘…our lives have been completely shattered. I am broken, devastated, humiliated, and I was completely blindsided.
‘This is not who we knew. We knew a loving, caring father and husband and we are grieving the loss of that man…. ‘I feel like they are two different people — but they are not.’
Prosecutors say Diebold sent the agent lewd photographs of himself and explicit material under the pretense that he was speaking to a teenage girl.
The agent began speaking to him by responding to an ad posted by the man.
It read: ‘Dominate male police officer seeks fun, discreet, sub playmate-m4w,’ according to the criminal complaint against Diebold.
The listing read: ‘I am a dom male that is also employed as a full time police officer. I hope that does not scare you off. I am white, straight, good looking, clean, d/d free, mentally stable and fun.
‘I can also host or travel. I do have pics to share and I am very discreet.
‘I am looking for a female sub for ongoing play sessions. I do not have a set type of woman so any age, race or status may email me. I respect any and all limits and you do not need to be experienced. I hope to hear from someone soon. KIK=kutecop4you’s.’
It is not clear when the pair began speaking.
In June, Diebold lost part of his arm in a fireworks explosion in the town. Two weeks later, he married his partner in a ceremony that was well-attended and widely reported in local media.
The pair had welcomed their baby son not long beforehand.
According to local station WTAE, Diebold admitted his wrongdoing in custody and told officers his life was ‘totally over’.
Attorney Duke George, who was hired by Diebold’s family to represent him in the criminal case, said his client plans to plead not guilty at his preliminary hearing scheduled for January 16.
Speaking to the Tribune-Review, George raised questions about some of the evidence agaisnt Diebold, especially his alleged confession.
‘The way they [prosecutors] represented it is not the way it happened,’ he said.
Danielle is pictured with her then-fiance Michael Diebold prior to their July 2017 nuptials
In June, Diebold became a local hero after losing his arm in a fireworks accident and marrying his high school sweetheart two weeks later
Diebold is pictured having a prosthetic arm fitted in September. His story swept local media