Westmoreland County District Judge Denise Thiel on Friday ordered Ray Shetler Jr. to stand trial for two felony counts of aggravated assault and solitary counts of disarming a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. Shetler was returned to the Westmoreland County Prison, with bond set at $250,000.
In 2018, Shetler was acquitted of murder charges in the 2015 shooting death of St. Clair Township police officer Lloyd Reed, but convicted on charges related to his escape attempt as police closed in. He skipped a recent probation hearing and police launched a search for him, finding him December 7th hiding at his girlfriend’s mobile home outside of Seward. Four sheriff’s deputies and 11 state troopers were involved with the attempt to take him into custody, but he fought with them before finally being subdued with the aid of a taser.
A sheriff’s deputy who was seriously injured in the fight testified Friday that Shetler repeatedly tried to get his gun from him while they struggled. Shetler was also injured, and had surgery for a broken eye socket.
Two people accused of helping Shetler avoid apprehension, his girlfriend Keeley Shay Morgan and Kenneth Krouse, both have preliminary hearings scheduled on February 4th.
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