Former Greensburg police Chief Shawn Denning waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday, two days before he was scheduled to appear in district court for the proceeding on accusations that he took items from the department’s evidence room.
Court records showed Denning, 42, of Delmont waived all five misdemeanor charges against him. A preliminary hearing had been scheduled Thursday in Greensburg.
He was arraigned Tuesday morning and is free on his own recognizance. Formal arraignment is scheduled for October. His attorney could not be reached Tuesday.
The charges — conspiracy, theft and three counts of tampering — stem from an audit of the department’s two evidence rooms following Denning’s arrest on federal charges in January. He has resigned.
Westmoreland County detectives said a backpack containing suspected steroids and psilocybin mushrooms was listed to be destroyed but it never was and instead is missing from the evidence room in Greensburg, according to court papers. The backpack is connected to a drug investigation Denning conducted with fellow officers.
The deadline for an indictment in the federal case is set for Aug. 22, though it has been pushed back several times, according to court filings. He is charged with six counts, including aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine and conspiracy. Denning is accused of acting as a middle man between an informant and dealers in California, according to a complaint filed in Pittsburgh federal court.
Denning had been a member of the force since 2008 before being promoted to chief in March 2022.
