ADAMS TWP — Supervisors have voted to ratify a settlement involving a township woman and Adams Township police, with supervisor Russ Ford casting the lone dissenting vote.

The board voted 3 to 1 Monday night to ratify a settlement that the township’s insurance company reached with Carmelina Vargo regarding a civil rights lawsuit she filed against a township police officer. Ford voted against ratification and Supervisor Linda Lees was not present.

Supervisor Thomas Franceschina brought the motion up for a vote.

“Each of us has struggled with whether this matter should be settled, which is what the insurance company has recommended,” he said. “As a board, we have diverging opinions, but in the end, in my opinion, we as supervisors have a responsibility to ensure that our police department can continue to function at the very high level of service and commitment it provides to our residents.”

He said it would be better not to have the lawsuit “hang over the heads” of the department for the next few years.

“I’m going to make a motion to ratify this settlement, coupled with a motion of support for our police department,” Franceschina said.

Ford voted against the motion, saying he was in full support of the department.

“I am definitely opposed to this decision,” he said.

The lawsuit has been ongoing for months, with Vargo filing the civil suit against Michael Wetherholt and Adams Officer Michael Bailey in January of this year.

The suit stems from an incident in April 2016 in which Vargo was initially charged with stalking and two counts of harassment.

Court documents filed at the time by Bailey indicated Vargo followed Wetherholt and his son in her vehicle through the Mars Athletic Complex parking lot shouting “Vargos rule.”

According to documents, Wetherholt tried leave with the help of a friend, but Vargo followed in her vehicle until an ambulance got between the vehicles.

All charges were withdrawn against Vargo in December 2016, documents state.

She filed the civil suit in January, claiming she “suffered, and continues to suffer, severe emotional distress,” due to the court proceedings.

On July 20, all parties submitted documents indicating a settlement had been reached following a mediation session July 17. Details of the settlement were not released.