If He Was That Hard Up For Cash, Even A Part-Time Job At The Fudge Shoppe Would Have Been Better

When Pennsylvania State police began a sting operation to catch suspected prostitutes they had no idea they would be arresting one of their own. But that's exactly what happened last week, when a Newport Township part-time police officer working as a male hooker was arrested in a prostitution sting at a Wilkes-Barre motel.

Levi Gibbon Jr., 40, of Wilkes-Barre, was charged by the state police Organized Crime Unit with a single count of prostitution. He was arraigned before Hanover Township District Judge Joseph Halesey and released on $5,000 bail. Newport Township Solicitor Richard Shiptoski said Gibbon has been suspended without pay until resolution of the charge, a third-degree misdemeanor. Gibbon couldn’t be reached for comment by the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.

According to the criminal complaint, State police and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office were involved in a prostitution sting at the Wilkes-Barre Lodge motel when an informant told authorities that Gibbon was working as an escort and was to show up at 4 p.m. to meet a client.

Gibbon, carrying a blue mini cooler, knocked on the door and was greeted by an undercover trooper posing as a client. Once inside the room, Gibbon discussed with the trooper sexual acts that would be performed for an amount of money, the criminal complaint says. Gibbon began to undress as he accepted $200 in marked money. A signal was given to surveillance teams, who entered the room and arrested Gibbon. Police said Gibbon admitted in a written statement that he was working as an escort and expected to receive money for sexual favors, the criminal complaint says.

Newport Township Police Department Chief Robert Impaglia declared “We're extremely shocked. It’s not something we would have expected. Levi's been going through some tough times recently; personal matters, but we're extremely shocked."

“When he came to work, he did his work. That was it. There was no rift-raft. There were no complaints about him" stated Newport Township Chief Impaglia. With only ten officers in Newport Township his co-workers are expected to pick-up his shifts. Meanwhile firefighters who worked closely with Gibbon also said they are in shock.

Paul Mierzwi of the Newport Township Fire Department stated “He did his job. He did a good job. Everybody liked him. It was all unexpected when we heard the news. We were all shocked."