To Protect and Overserve?”: Timesheets Raise Alarming Questions About Police Chief’s Double Employment And worst is yet to come!

“To Protect and Overserve?”
That’s the question this post raises after a deep dive into public records tied to Mahanoy City Borough and East Union Township.

Overlapping timesheets. Quiet resignation. No criminal charges. And a police chief who still holds power.

Between 2021 and 2023, Chief Thomas Rentschler was reportedly working for two municipalities and according to the documents I obtained through Right-to-Know requests, the hours he was paid for in both towns appear to overlap on multiple occasions.

What you’re about to see isn’t speculation it’s a side-by-side breakdown of publicly available records. The kind of records that sparked consequences in East Union, but silence in Mahanoy City.

This post is the result of months of investigation. But as serious as it is…

What I’m releasing tomorrow is even worse.

What the Timesheets Seem to Reveal

Through multiple RTK requests, I obtained timesheets from both East Union Township and Mahanoy City Borough spanning 2021 through 2023. Reviewing them side by side, I noticed several entries that, in my view, appeared to reflect overlapping hours reported to both municipalities.

These dates especially stood out to me:

9/03/2021
1/11/2022
9/20/2022 – 9/26/2022
3/13/2023 – 3/17/2023

On the surface, these records appear to reflect time reported in both towns for the same dates, sometimes during the exact same hours.

Was There a Quiet Payback and a Cover-Up?

Was he caught and quietly allowed to resign?
Was any money paid back behind closed doors?
Was this swept under the rug to avoid political fallout or exposure?

If East Union discovered a problem serious enough to result in resignation, the public deserves to know:

Was there a formal settlement?
Were law enforcement oversight agencies notified?
Did anyone attempt to track how much may have been earned across both towns?

If there was any kind of internal resolution or repayment, why wasn’t it disclosed to the public and why did Mahanoy City take no visible action?

Who Is Chief Thomas Rentschler?

Thomas J. “TJ” Rentschler has served in Schuylkill County law enforcement for several years, including concurrent positions in Mahanoy City Borough and East Union Township. In late 2020, Mahanoy City Borough Council unanimously approved his appointment as full-time Chief of Police, effective January 1, 2021, replacing interim Chief Mark Wiekrykas. At the time, Rentschler was already serving as part-time Chief in East Union Township, a role he continued to hold while beginning his full-time duties in Mahanoy City.

While it’s not uncommon for rural officers to work across multiple departments, what raised concerns here was evidence of overlapping timesheets, suggesting Rentschler may have been compensated by both municipalities for the same hours. According to records, East Union Township requested Mahanoy City’s timesheets to cross-check hours, and in 2024, Rentschler reportedly resigned from his East Union position. No public disciplinary action was taken in Mahanoy City.

Despite this, Rentschler reportedly remains employed in Mahanoy City and is also now believed to be working in Freeland, Pennsylvania, prompting fair questions about whether the issues tied to his dual employment were ever disclosed during hiring processes elsewhere.

But this story stretches back even further.

In 2018, Rentschler received an Officer of the Year award from Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 25. A photo from the event shows him accepting the award from former Lodge President Matthew Dillman, while Shawn Butler, then recording secretary at that time, stood beside them.

Shawn Butler is a notable figure in Schuylkill County in his own right. He has reportedly held multiple overlapping public roles, with some accounts indicating over 75 hours of weekly government work across two jobs for more than a decade.

That context raises difficult but necessary questions:

Is there a broader pattern of overlapping public service roles in Schuylkill County?

Has a culture of blurred lines and “trusted circles” contributed to a lack of accountability?
Could this be a case where the appearance of connection shields individuals from scrutiny?

None of this confirms wrongdoing but for the public, it demands transparency.

The RTK Trail: How This Came to Light

This story began with public records and not rumors.

Using Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law, I submitted requests to both boroughs for Chief Rentschler’s time and pay records. When they were returned, I reviewed them side-by-side, line-by-line.

I obtained East Union’s RTK request to Mahanoy City
I verified dates of resignation and employment
I cross-checked time blocks and job status

What emerged, in my view, was a documented pattern that called out for accountability.

Could This Undermine Past Arrests and Prosecutions?

If a police chief is implicated in falsifying time records or receiving compensation from multiple sources for overlapping hours, it may not just be a personnel issue, it could affect the legal system itself.

Under Brady v. Maryland and Giglio v. United States, any officer with known credibility concerns must be disclosed in any criminal proceeding they’re involved in. That means:

Prior arrests
Testimony
Citations
Sworn affidavits

…could be challenged if made during a time when the officer’s integrity is in question.

How many cases might be impacted?
Could convictions be overturned?
Have defense attorneys been notified?

If this situation was never referred to the DA or if it was and quietly ignored the implications for constitutional due process are real.

And here’s something that deserves scrutiny: Eric M. Lieberman, the solicitor for Mahanoy City Borough, is also reportedly employed by the Schuylkill County District Attorney’s Office.

So the question becomes if the evidence from East Union Township made it to the DA’s office, did Lieberman handle it?

And if so, was it reviewed independently? Or did the matter stall under someone who may have had a dual role and direct knowledge of the chief’s conduct?

That’s not an accusation but it’s a reasonable question when the solicitor of the borough at the center of the controversy may also be connected to the office that could have investigated it.

Is It Happening Again?

According to meeting minutes from July 2024, Chief Rentschler is also working in Freeland, Pennsylvania.

That raises a new set of concerns:

Is this another dual-role arrangement?
Has Freeland reviewed the past overlap findings?
Is anyone monitoring whether new scheduling conflicts could emerge?

At this point, I have not confirmed if Freeland officials have been made aware of the East Union resignation or Mahanoy City’s inaction. But given what’s already been documented, it’s a fair question to ask: Could this be repeating itself elsewhere?

The Final Drop: Why I’m Publishing This Now

After months of research, records review, and legal filings, I’m releasing this information to the public. All available timesheets, resignations, and documentation have been gathered and preserved.

The next post dropping tomorrow will reveal something even more damning.

The Public Deserves Accountability

If you live in Mahanoy City, East Union, or Freeland, you helped pay for this.

If you’re an official who saw the records and said nothing, your silence speaks volumes.

If you’re in the DA’s office, and this hasn’t crossed your desk, maybe now it should.

Transparency isn’t a personal grudge. It’s a public right.

Documentation and images of timesheets are provided above.
Tips or records? Email: tip@foiabuddy.com

Stay tuned… the next drop goes live tomorrow.

If This Were My Township, I’d Be Demanding Accountability

If this had happened in my township, if a police chief was caught double-dipping, quietly allowed to resign, and the borough solicitor was potentially tied to the very DA’s office that could’ve investigated it, I’d be asking for resignations.

Specifically, I’d be questioning whether the board, specifically Chairperson Mike Connolly, Vice Chairperson Thomas McCabe, Manager John Fatula and Solicitor Eric M. Lieberman are truly acting in the best interest of the taxpayers they’re supposed to serve.

That’s my opinion and I believe it’s a fair one. When silence and contradictions pile up, leadership needs to answer for more than just legal loopholes. They need to answer to the people.

Call to Action: We the People Decide

This isn’t just about Mahanoy City anymore. This is about every citizen in every small town who’s been told to “sit down and shut up” when asking fair questions.

If you’ve witnessed fraud, abuse, or stonewalling in your own town, tell someone.

📧 Submit tips to: tip@foiabuddy.com
🔁 Share this post if you believe in government accountability.

What Happens When a Citizen Asks Questions? My Confrontation with Mahanoy City Borough

I wasn’t hiding. I filed records requests. I even have a lawsuit pending in Commonwealth Court. And yet Mahanoy City Borough labeled me “anonymous” to deny my Right-to-Know Law request.

When a government agency knows who you are but still calls you anonymous, what are they really trying to avoid?

This article breaks down what happened, why this denial raises serious legal and ethical questions, and how the same borough claiming I’m “unknown” has already faced me in court.

Read the blog and watch the footage, see the contradiction, and decide for yourself:
Mahanoy City – Where Transparency Gets Denied Anyway
Read the full story here

Help Us Fight for Transparency

If you believe in government accountability and the right to public information, consider supporting FOIA Buddy. The more people who push back, the harder it becomes for agencies to keep hiding the truth.

Transparency shouldn’t require a lawsuit. But if it does, I’ll be there fighting as a pro se litigant so you don’t have to.

Disclaimer

This article reflects the author’s personal interpretation and informed opinion based on publicly obtained records, Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) responses, and municipal employment documents covering the years 2021–2023. All statements are drawn from publicly accessible information, official documents, and side-by-side comparisons of timesheets submitted to East Union Township and Mahanoy City Borough.

This post does not accuse any individual of a crime. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Any questions raised in this post are framed as matters of public interest and concern, not as factual assertions of wrongdoing.

Where inconsistencies or anomalies are noted, they are presented as the author’s interpretation of the documents reviewed and are intended to promote public discussion about accountability, transparency, and the ethical standards expected of public servants.

Any reference to public officials, government employees, or legal entities is intended solely to highlight patterns and encourage lawful oversight. Use of rhetorical questions, emotional tone, or editorial style is protected speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and consistent with journalistic standards on matters of public concern.

This article is provided for educational, informational, and advocacy purposes only and should not be interpreted as legal advice.

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