Jack W. Gardner was convicted of child molesting over thirty years before the Republicans ran him for office. He was the Millersville Council Vice-President and a GOP committeeman for several terms. Republicans are fond of arguing that pedophilia cannot be treated, but I guess it’s okay if you’re a Republican.
In 1970, he pleaded guilty. He was charged with assault with intent to ravish, corrupting a minor, and indecent assault of a minor. She was thirteen, he was twenty-four at the time. He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced from three to 23 months for assault with intent to ravish and a year’s probation for all the rest. He was paroled after just three month.
I include several news clippings here because there is nothing on his case on the internet except several iterations of GOP Predators list. So I went to digitized newsprint archives because everything has to be sourced. What is on the net is him doing his job as Millersville Borough Vice-President.
26 Sept 1969
June 19, 1970
9 Sep 1970