An assistant district attorney in Bucks County, Pa., was demoted this week after admitting he worked a second job as a delivery man for DoorDash, a food delivery app, while on the clock for the county.

The man, Gregg Shore, who as first assistant district attorney was the second-highest official in the office, was demoted to deputy district attorney, District Attorney Matt Weintraub said on Thursday. Mr. Shore earned $125,435 in 2019, according to public records.

Mr. Shore told KYW Radio, which first reported the story, that his reasons for taking the second job were personal and that he mostly delivered at night.

“However, I made the incredibly poor decision to deliver during the workday at times,” he said. “In doing so I realize that I betrayed my boss, my colleagues, and most importantly, the citizens of Bucks County.” Mr. Shore could not immediately be reached for comment.

In announcing the demotion, Mr. Weintraub did not hide his disappointment.

“What he has done is indefensible, thoughtless, selfish and so stupid. It’s senseless,” he said in a video statement.

“I don’t know why he did this,” he added. “Only he has the answer, and I’ll admit to you, I’m very angry and I’m upset.”

Mr. Shore was replaced as second in command by Jennifer M. Schorn, who has been with the office since 1999.

Mr. Shore has been a prosecutor for 19 years, working for the Pennsylvania attorney general and Lehigh County. He was the state’s deputy secretary of labor from 2011 to 2015.

Mr. Weintraub credited him with starting the county’s insurance fraud unit and for prosecuting several high-profile cases, including the murder trials of Sean Kratz and Cosmo DiNardo after four people were killed in 2017.

The district attorney cited Mr. Shore’s record of public service as one reason he did not simply fire him, which he said would have been “easier and politically expedient.” Mr. Shore had a history of “always being there to answer the call, including during these DoorDash times,” he said.

“Will he be able to withstand the pressure and the scrutiny and the shame that his conduct has brought upon himself?” Mr. Weintraub asked. “I don’t know. But for now, I’m giving him that chance. He has a shot at redemption.”

DoorDash says its drivers are paid between $2 and $10 per delivery, plus tips and occasional bonuses. In 2019, the company’s chief executive, Tony Xu, said the average driver earned $17.50 an hour, though it defined an hour as time spent doing pickups and deliveries, not counting time waiting for orders to come in.

In 2019, the company changed its pay model after a New York Times article detailed how customer tips effectively went to the company instead of to drivers.

The demand for food delivery soared during the coronavirus pandemic, and many unemployed workers turned to the app for income. But drivers have described difficult working conditions and erratic pay, as they are treated as freelancers without benefits.

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