Westmont Hilltop school police officer resigns, citing lack of support

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — Westmont Hilltop School District's newly hired police officer confirmed to 6 News she has resigned her position just months after the district hired her amid outrage within the community after investigators foiled what they said was a school shooting plot at the high school.

Karissa Grossman said Friday she left because of a lack of support and the inability to do her job effectively.

"I take being a police officer very seriously, and the safety of the students very seriously," Grossman said. "If I can’t do my job right, I can’t sit in a position as such."

The school board approved her hiring in February. She had previous law enforcement experience with the Ohio Highway Patrol, local police departments, and as an officer in schools in Somerset and Altoona.

Both Superindent Thomas Mitchell and School Board President Robert Gleason had declined to comment on Grossman's status this week with the school as they said they don't comment on personnel matters.

Parents had spoken out about the district using only one officer for two schools and that the officer reports to the school and not to a police department as a school resource officer would.

Grossman said Friday she needed to be under a police department in order to be successful.

"It was hard for me to do exactly what I needed to do without proper support," Grossman said, adding she’d be willing to return in the future under the authority of a police department.

The position had been created in December 2020, a year before Logan Pringle and Preston Hinebaugh were charged for what investigators said was the “planning phase” of a school shooting plot at the high school.

Investigators said Pringle, who had been expelled and had a court order not to be on school property, was able to get in through the front door with Hinebaugh’s help and roam the school without being caught in December 2021.

Gleason at the time said they had a difficult time finding the right officer for the position.

“We didn’t want to hire just anybody, we wanted to have the right person who would stay here a long time and develop relationships with the students, the parents, and the community,” Gleason said in December 2021.

Grossman was hired Thursday night as a part-time officer with the Upper Yoder Police Department.

"I hope I get the opportunity to change the world because we need it," Grossman said. "We need it in our community."