UPDATE: ‘Devastated’ wife speaks out following husband police chief’s arrest in child sex sting

The wife of a Pennsylvania police chief has broken her silence days after he was arrested for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.

Leechburg police Chief Michael Diebold, 40, is accused of sending explicit photos to and soliciting sex from the girl who ended up being an undercover agent. In a statement, Attorney General Josh Shapiro slammed the disgraced chief for his “heinous” behavior.

The chief’s wife, Danielle Diebold, told KDKA on Sunday that she was taken aback by her husband’s arrest. The pair had married in July, weeks after Michael lost his left hand and part of his arm in a fireworks accident. The town had rallied around the fallen officer, starting fundraisers to support him and his family.

“They say God will never give you more than you can handle, but he did this time. I have never hurt so bad in all my life,” Danielle said.

Michael Diebold
Michael Diebold [Image: Westmoreland County Prison]
“I don’t know how to pick up all these broken pieces and find a way to put them back together and go on with my life, but I have to try to find a way for my children.”

“Our lives have been completely shattered.”

As CrimeOnline previously reported, agents arrested Diebold on Friday as he arrived at an agreed-upon location in Westmoreland County. Documents obtained by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette indicated that the police chief admitted to having sexual conversations with the 14-year-old online and creating personal ads for the past several years.

“Diebold admitted that he knew that sexual contact with a 14 year [old] child was wrong and illegal and that his life was totally over,” an agent wrote.

READ More: ‘This is not who we knew’: Beloved police chief accused of arranging to have sex with an underage girl

Danielle went on to say that she was “broken, devastated, humiliated, and “completely blindsighted” by the allegations against her husband. In the statement, she said that he never gave her any reason to be suspicious of him and that they were planning on having more children.

“This is not who we knew. We knew a loving, caring father and husband and we are grieving the loss of that man.”

Nevertheless, she apologized to the victims and the community for her husband’s alleged actions.

“I feel like they are two different people—but they are not.I will never find the right words to say but I want to say I am truly so sorry to everyone out there including any minor that may have been involved, our community, family, and friends,” she concluded.

Michael is being held in the Westmoreland County Jail on $500,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 16.

[Featured Image: Michael and Danielle Diebold/Facebook]