Ray Shetler, acquitted of murder in 2015 police officer's killing, sentenced for parole violations
Mar. 22—A former New Florence man acquitted of murder in the 2015 shooting of a St. Clair police officer will be eligible for parole in just over two months under a new sentence imposed Friday.
Ray A. Shetler Jr., 39, of Saltsburg, was given a 5-year sentence for violating probation, but he was given credit for more than two years he served behind bars since he was arrested in December 2021. According to court records, Shetler has to serve at least 78 more days until he is eligible for parole on the new conviction.
"I just want to be done and take of this and move on with life," Shetler said.
Shetler has been in jail since he was charged with assaulting police officers at a Seward mobile home as they attempted to take him into custody on an outstanding warrant.
That was related to allegations he violated terms of his 5-year probation portion of his sentence for a theft case. He previously served a 23-month jail term in that case.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio on Friday formally revoked Shetler's probation and imposed a new sentence that requires him to serve 2 1/2 to 5 years for in prison.
He was given credit for the 834 days — nearly 2 years and 3 months — he has served behind bars since he was originally detained.
Following a weeklong trial in 2018, Shetler was found not guilty of first-degree murder and other counts related to the killing of St. Clair police officer Lloyd Reed.
Witnesses claimed Shelter and Reed, who was in uniform as he responded to a domestic violence call in 2015, exchanged gunfire. Reed suffered a fatal wound to his chest. Shetler was shot in his shoulder before he fled the scene and swam across the Conemaugh River.
Jurors found Shetler guilty of a stealing a vehicle as he attempted to escape from pursing officers.
While on probation for that offense, authorities said Shetler failed to meet reporting requirements and did not appear in court for a scheduled hearing. After days of searching, police found him at a friend's mobile home in Seward, where he had a violent confrontation with law enforcement.
Deputy Sheriff Irvin Shipley suffered a concussion and a torn rotator cuff as Shetler fought officers during the melee. Shetler also was injured when he was shot in the eye with a Taser.
A Westmoreland County jury convicted Shetler in October of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and disarming a police officer in connection with the December 2021 incident.
He was sentenced in January to serve 1 to 2 years in prison, but was immediately eligible for parole. At Shetler's sentencing hearing earlier this year, county prosecutors called him a "menace to society." They described him as a man who could not be supervised as they asked he serve up to 19 years in prison.
Shetler is expected to be transferred from the county jail to the state prison system in the coming weeks. The state's probation and parole board could consider Shetler's release later this spring, according to the court records.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
