New Florence man charged in police assault seeks release from jail
Oct. 5—A former New Florence man acquitted in the fatal shooting of a police officer in 2015 claims his speedy trial rights were violated as he awaits trial on charges that he assaulted police at his home last year.
Ray A. Shetler Jr., 38, wants to be released on a nominal bail, saying Westmoreland County prosecutors have taken too long to bring his case to trial. Shetler has been in jail in lieu of a $250,000 bond since December.
Shetler was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, disarming of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest in connection with an incident last year at a mobile home in Seward when members of the Pennsylvania State Police and county Sheriff's Department attempted to arrest him on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court for a probation revocation hearing.
Prosecutors say a sheriff's deputy was injured as Shetler resisted arrest.
Shetler was found hiding beneath a folded futon covered with blankets, according to court records. Police said he fought back and headbutted a sheriff's deputy who leaned over to take him into custody. The deputy suffered head and shoulder injuries that required hospital treatment, police said.
Shetler also was injured after he was shot in the eye with a Taser. He was on probation for an unrelated theft conviction.
He was convicted at trial in 2018 of a vehicle theft while attempting to escape from police following the fatal shooting of St. Clair Township Police officer Lloyd Reed, who had responded to a domestic disturbance call from Shetler's girlfriend.
At that same trial, a jury found Shetler not guilty of Reed's murder. Shetler maintained he didn't know Reed was a police officer and that he was defending himself from a man with a weapon when they exchanged gunfire.
In the latest case, defense attorney Michael Garofalo claims Shetler had to be tried before Aug. 30 to comply with state speedy trial rules. The case is still pending and during a court appearance Tuesday, Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bilik-DeFazio granted the defense's request to postpone the trial until at least December.
Garofalo said the defense is seeking additional information from the prosecution, including reports from the arresting officers detailing the number of Tasers used during Shetler's arrest. The prosecutor turned over a report that concluded just one Taser was fired.
"It is our belief more than one officer used their Taser," Garofalo said.
Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said there is no evidence to support that allegation.
"Just one Taser was turned in, and I've been told no other Tasers were deployed," Ciaramitaro said.
The judge ordered the prosecution to submit reports from each responding officer detailing whether they used the weapons during Shetler's arrest.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
