Acting Coitsville fire chief faces OVI charge

COITSVILLE — The township’s acting fire chief is facing a charge of operating a vehicle while impaired and will appear in Campbell Municipal Court at 9 a.m. Friday, the court said.

Chris Manack was stopped around 3 a.m. in the township July 24, the court said. Police stopped him on state Route 616 between Upland Avenue and Villa Marie Road.

He was charged with OVI refusal, meaning he refused a breath test, and with failure to maintain marked lanes, the court said. The OVI charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.

Trustee Chairwoman Phyllis Johnson said earlier this week that trustees are aware of Manack’s pending court appearance, which is a pretrial, and are waiting to see what happens there.

She said there are no plans at this time to permanently fill the fire chief’s position or to take any action regarding Manack.

“We are going to make responsible decisions,” she said.

Manack has been acting chief since Nick Pope retired as chief about a year ago, Johnson said. Manack is assistant as well as acting chief.

Manack referred a request for comment to his attorney, who could not be reached.