Ex-Greensburg police chief set for Monday court appearance in county theft case
Former Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning is back in Westmoreland County.
Denning, 44, of Delmont was transferred this week to the county jail to await a court appearance Monday, when he is expected to consider a possible guilty plea to misdemeanor charges in connection with allegations that he stole evidence from the Greensburg police station.
Denning has been in federal custody since June 10 after reporting to prison to serve a 15-month sentence following a guilty plea last year to drug offenses.
Earlier this week, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart II ordered sheriff’s deputies to transport Denning from the federal penitentiary in Schuylkill County to Westmoreland County ahead of his criminal trial that is scheduled for next week.
Online records Friday listed Denning among the inmates at Westmoreland County Prison.
Defense attorney Brian Aston confirmed that Denning has been moved to the county jail and said talks with prosecutors about a plea deal are ongoing.
“We are working toward a resolution,” Aston said.
Denning was charged by county detectives in 2023 with five misdemeanor counts of theft and related offenses over allegations that he stole a backpack containing suspected steroids and psilocybin mushrooms that was meant to be destroyed. An audit of the Greensburg police evidence rooms after Denning’s arrest on federal drug charges found the backpack hadn’t been destroyed and was missing.
Prosecution of the county theft allegations was on hold as Denning’s federal drug trafficking case moved through the court system. Denning pleaded guilty in federal court in April 2024 to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine.
Prosecutors said he communicated with a government informant starting in July 2021 and over the next 15 months connected that person with drug dealers in California to buy cocaine and methamphetamine.
He was sentenced this year to 15 months in federal prison and two years on probation.
Aston said Denning could be released from federal custody in January after receiving credit for good behavior while in prison.
Denning had been a member of the Greensburg police force since 2008 before being promoted to chief in March 2022.
He resigned following his arrest at Greensburg City Hall in February 2023.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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