Man Acquitted In St. Clair Twp. Police Officer's Death To Be Released From Prison
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GREENSBURG (KDKA/AP) – A man acquitted in the fatal shooting of a St. Clair Township Police officer in 2015 was back in court on Wednesday.
In February, Ray Shetler Jr. was found not guilty on charges of first- and third-degree murder, terroristic threats and simple assault in the death of Officer Lloyd Reed.
However, he was found guilty on charges of theft and receiving stolen property. Today, he was sentenced to 11.5-23 months with credit for time served and five years' probation. As a result, he will soon be released from prison.
"He's had significant time in jail since his arrest. The judge gave him time served and he'll be on five years probation," said Marc Daffner, Shetler's attorney.
While leaving court on Wednesday afternoon, Shetler told reporters: "I don't have anything to say to you. I'll tell anyone my story except you."
When the verdict was read, the officer's widow was in tears, but Shetler's family cheered.
Officer Reed responded to Shetler's New Florence home after the 33-year-old's girlfriend called 911 in November 2015.
During the trial, witnesses testified that Officer Reed ordered Shetler to drop a rifle and the officer opened fire when Shetler did not comply. Shetler returned fire, striking Reed outside the officer's bulletproof vest.
Shetler testified he did not know Reed was a police officer and acted in self-defense.
Once he gets out of jail, Daffner says his client plans to move out of the area.
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