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Delco fire chief charged with obstructing a child abuse investigation

The charges come after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by another department official.

Another Folcroft fire official has been charged in relation to a child endangerment investigation.
Another Folcroft fire official has been charged in relation to a child endangerment investigation.Read moreJESSICA GRIFFIN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / File photo

A Delaware County fire chief was charged with obstructing an investigation into child abuse Tuesday, according to court documents.

The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office charged Thomas Weber Sr., chief of the Folcroft Fire Department, with endangering the welfare of children in addition to the obstruction charge.

The charges come after another department official, Folcroft Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Thomas Bateman, was charged late last year with a handful of sex crimes. Investigators alleged that the 28-year-old Bateman sexually assaulted a 15-year-old member of the department’s junior firefighter division multiple times inside the firehouse last summer.

The District Attorney’s Office could not be reached for comment on the latest charges, and it is not clear whether the investigation into Weber is related to Bateman’s charges. In January, though, law enforcement sources told CBS3 they were actively investigating other leaders within the Folcroft Fire Department who may have known about the alleged abuse and failed to report it.

Weber’s attorney also did not respond to a request for comment.

Folcroft Borough officials released a statement Wednesday saying that the mayor and council members would refrain from commenting on Weber’s charges.

“Those individuals entrusted to serve and protect our community are under a constant duty to protect children, including the prevention, deterrence, and reporting of suspected child abuse,” the statement said. “Silence in the face of child abuse has no place in Folcroft Borough and will not be tolerated from mandated reporters employed by the Borough.”

CBS3 first reported in December that Bateman and another high-ranking Folcroft fire official were suspended after Bateman was accused of assaulting the junior firefighter.

In CBS’ January coverage of Bateman’s court appearance, an attorney for the underaged victim said the assaults could have been avoided with proper oversight and reporting procedures within the department.

Bateman pleaded not guilty and awaits trial.

Weber’s bail was set at $200,000.