web1_pens_reid_mcneill_faa.jpg

McNeill not taking the summer off

web1_Wotherspoon.jpg

WVC GRADS IN THE MINORSWotherspoon joins Trenton’s rotation

<p>SHICKSHINNY &#8212; A former Ashley cop found a new home Wednesday night, less than six months after he filed a lawsuit against his former employer.</p><p>John H. Urbanski, 24, of Nanticoke, was hired by Shickshinny borough Wednesday night.</p><p>A complaint filed in December 2015 named Urbanski as the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the six-member Ashley council, Ashley Mayor David Evans and Ashley borough manager Greg Gulick, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/497798/ashley-police-officer-files-lawsuit-alleging-retaliation-for-attempts-to-form-union" target="_blank">alleging Urbanksi was targeted for retaliation by police after attempting to unionize.</a></p><p>Urbanski declined comment about his Ashley suit when interviewed Friday afternoon because &#8220;it&#8217;s still in litigation.&#8221;</p><p>Urbanski, has been hired as Shickshinny&#8217;s lone police officer. Shickshinny has been without an in-house police presence since 2013, according to Times Leader records.</p><p>&#8220;Right now we have to look at call volume,&#8221; he said about hiring other members of the force.</p><p>Currently, Pennsylvania State Police patrols the Shickshinny borough, Urbanski said.</p><p>He begins his patrols on Memorial Day, when he will be leading the town parade.</p><p><a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/509068/shickshinny-council-mulls-hiring-police-officer" target="_blank">During their February meeting,</a> Shickshinny council members mulled hiring a police officer. Mayor Beverly Moore told the Times Leader that month that the borough needed a &#8220;small-town oriented&#8221; officer.</p><p>Urbanski has spent four years in law enforcement; he&#8217;s almost completed his bachelor&#8217;s degree from Penn State. He has the Pennsylvania State Police Top Gun program on his resume, including crime scene investigation, undercover narcotics and other training programs.</p><p>The total area of Shickshinny is half a square mile; the area of Ashley is 1 square mile.</p><p>&#8220;I want to be open and transparent (with the people of Shickshinny),&#8221; he said. &#8220;I look forward to having the department up and running; having a good relationship with the DA&#8217;s office.&#8221;</p><p>Urbanski credits his brother with getting him interested in law enforcement.</p><p>Besides his lawsuit against Ashley, the 24-year-old is also open about his four-year-old DUI charge, which was expunged after successful completion of Luzerne County&#8217;s accelerated rehabilitation disposition program.</p><p>&#8220;I realize people do make mistakes,&#8221; Urbanski said.</p><p>Shickshinny Mayor Beverly Moore and Council President Kevin Morris did not return phone calls for comment Friday afternoon.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Urbanskiuntoned.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Urbanski </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Urbanskiuntoned.jpg</photo0><caption0>Urbanski </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Embroiled Ashley cop finds new home in Shickshinny