The former director of buildings and grounds for the Butler School District will avoid prison time, and possibly a permanent criminal record, in the 3-year-old Summit Township Elementary School water scandal.

Glenn R. Terwilliger, 56, of Chicora will undergo 24 months of accelerated rehabilitative disposition (ARD) after he agreed Tuesday in Butler County court to waive a second-degree misdemeanor charge of recklessly endangering another person.

Judge Timothy McCune dismissed two other misdemeanors — first-degree endangering the welfare of children by a parent/guardian/other committing the offense, and third-degree disorderly conduct.

The Butler County District Attorney's Office filed the charges against Terwilliger on May 4, 2018, after a two year criminal investigation into the district's failure to report results of water tests at Summit Township Elementary School showing elevated levels of lead and copper.

After a test of the water on Aug. 15, 2016, it was found that four of five samples taken from four different classrooms and the school library, exceeded the lead limit for drinking water.

Terwilliger, the DEP certified water operator for the district and a 35-year employee, was responsible for reporting the test results as well as the DEP-required plan of action to remedy the high levels, according to the criminal complaint. His neglect to do so put students and faculty in danger, according to the complaint.

Terwilliger later resigned.

The document states that Terwilliger was contacted by the laboratory that conducted the tests, before calling and speaking with Thomas Blair, the sanitarian supervisor for the DEP.

Police said the investigation revealed Terwilliger failed to make these notifications public after being advised by DEP and no public education program was developed, nor were public education materials delivered.

Terwilliger's supervisors were interviewed and reported that they were not advised of the DEP e-mail and said they were told by Terwilliger that the DEP advised him the water was safe for consumption and normal use, police said.

“I believe Terwilliger's failure to deliver the proper notifications to the students' parents, faculty, and staff at Summit Elementary put them at risk to consume and use water that contained a lead and copper exceedance,” state Trooper Max DeLuca wrote in the criminal complaint.

The school district did not disclose the incident until January 2017 — six months later — which outraged parents and ultimately prompted the resignations of several school district officials, as well as the filing of a class-action lawsuit against the district claiming negligence — the suit was later dismissed.