Former New Florence man gets 2 1/2 to 5 years for probation violation

David Hurst, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Mar. 26—GREENSBURG, Pa. — A former New Florence man acquitted in a shooting that claimed a St. Clair Township police officer in 2015 was sentenced to a minimum of two and a half years behind bars for violating his probation related to a theft charge in that incident.

But given the fact that Ray Shetler has served 834 days in prison, he will be eligible for parole this summer, Westmoreland County court officials confirmed.

Online court records show Shetler was sentenced for his probation violation Friday by Westmoreland County Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio.

Shetler was serving probation for stealing a truck after leaving the scene of the shooting of Officer Lloyd Reed Jr., who responded to a domestic incident and was fatally wounded while exchanging gunfire outside.

Shetler's probation violation stemmed from his failure to appear for a hearing in late 2021, and an altercation with law enforcement officials that followed after he was found in a bedroom inside a Seward-area mobile home.

A Westmoreland County deputy sheriff received a concussion and suffered a torn rotator cuff attempting to take Shetler into custody. Shetler was also injured and maintained he acted in self-defense, but a jury convicted him of aggravated assault and resisting arrest in October.

Shetler was given one to two years in prison for that conviction, but was credited for time served and is also eligible for parole in that case.

Shetler's probation sentence puts him back under the oversight of the state corrections system, meaning he'll be transferred from county jail to a state prison to serve his sentence.

Once he serves the balance of his two and a half years — just under 80 days from now — the state Probation and Parole board will review his case to determine whether he's eligible for supervised release.