Rostraver Township honors officers in homicide case

They received citations from state Rep. Eric Davanzo.

At Monday’s meeting, Rostraver Township commissioners recognized three police officers who responded to a shooting death earlier this month.

Board Chairman Jeffrey Johnson and Rostraver Police Chief Scott Sokol presented “Commitment to Courage” awards to patrolmen John Frederick and Brian Dove and West Newton Sgt. Anthony Gillingham.

The three officers responded to a Feb. 5 incident in which Robert S. Chaplin, 34, was charged with criminal homicide in the death of Estela Rivera Vasquez, 35, who was found with a gunshot wound to the chest in the basement of her Rostraver Township home.

Chaplin is from South Carolina, but lived with Vasquez and her three children in their home. Sokol said the officers responded to a call from one of the children saying their mother had been shot.

“I wasn’t surprised when he called me to tell me those two officers, I don’t know Mr. Gillingham sounds like he did just as nice of a job, but when he told me which of our officers was involved, I wasn’t surprised,” Johnson said. “I personally read the 911 correspondence between the daughter and 911, and I’ve never read something so sad. It kind of gives you a little bit of a sense for what they were walking into, for young children to be in a closet and be making that phone call, and then the way it was handled, could have been life-changing. It was done the right way. And it just makes you proud.”

State Rep. Eric Davanzo, R-Smithton, presented the three of- ficers with citations honoring their response during the incident. He commended them for handling such difficult circumstances.

“There were three children involved who didn’t ask for this, and their lives are completely turned upside down for the rest of their lives,” Davanzo said. “So tonight when we talk to our loved ones and say our prayers, we need to include these three children.”

Sokol said other local first responders were a great help during the incident and recognized them for their service.

“I want to thank our neighboring departments for their help,” Sokol said. “The definition of teamwork was on display that night. Members from Belle Vernon (Pennsylvania State Police), the Westmoreland County Detectives Bureau, the West Newton Police Department and Monessen Police assisted at the scene. I’ve never seen something go so fluid, and everybody worked together with one common goal.”

Sokol added that he’s been working with the three officers for a long time, with Gillingham being his training officer when he first started. He said he’s proud of all three officers and how they handled the incident.

In other business, the board approved:

• The Rostraver Township Police Department entering into an annual agreement for professional services with Lexipol to update police policies and procedures and train officers on updated policies.

• Naming Stephen D. Morgan as a member of the Rostraver Township Sewage Authority with a term expiring Dec. 31, 2029.

• The resignation of G. Adam Martin from the township’s zoning hearing board, effective Feb. 1.