SPARTANSBURG, Pa. (AP) — The mayor of a small Pennsylvania town is standing by its volunteer fire company's re-election of a registered sex offender as its fire chief. Chief Roger Gilbert Jr. was convicted in 2001 of sexual intercourse with a 4-year-old girl and is listed in the state's Megan's Law database, The (Corry) Journal reported Saturday . Despite Gilbert's status as a felon, Mayor Ann Louise Wagner originally said she supported the department's decision to have him as chief, saying the town's officials will not interfere with how firemen elect their own officers. The victim's mother told the newspaper that she doesn't believe he should be in a job where he could interact with children. But Gilbert, now 43, told the Journal he has changed his life for the better since committing the crime in 2000 in the nearby city of Corry. "You know, the story you are telling kids is once you make mistake, you will be punished for the rest of your life. I've changed my life for the better. Every day I get up and try to do good," he said. Gilbert was re-elected by other volunteer firefighters, not the public at-large, in Spartansburg, about 40 miles southeast of Erie.
– You'll find the name of Roger Gilbert listed as volunteer fire chief in the small Pennsylvania town of Spartansburg. In fact, the 43-year-old just got re-elected. The problem, though, is that you'll also find his name listed in the state's Megan's Law database for sex offenders, reports the Corry Journal. Back in 2001, Gilbert was convicted of "involuntary deviate sexual intercourse" with a 4-year-old girl and served a 5- to 10-year prison sentence. Gilbert says he's a changed man—"that was 20 years ago"—but his re-election is drawing plenty of attention after the story was picked up nationally by the AP. Spartansburg is about 40 miles southeast of Erie, notes PhillyVoice, which points out that Gilbert was elected twice to his post as chief by his fellow firefighters, not the public. (Only about 300 people live in the town.) "The firemen have always elected their own officers and that's how it's always been done," Mayor Ann Louise Wagner tells the Journal. "We don't question their decisions." (Gilbert might see a change in his passport the next time he renews.)