Officers describe intense struggle to arrest New Florence man wanted on bench warrant; defense questions police motives

The injuries Ray A. Shetler Jr. suffered in December 2021 while he was taken into custody on a bench warrant didn’t need to happen, according to police.

But, when Shetler, 39, of New Florence, was confronted in a St. Clair Township mobile home, police officers serving that warrant said, he immediately started to struggle with them.

“In 15 years, I’ve never had a fight like this,” state police Cpl. Jonathan Lindsey testified. “All this would’ve stopped if he would’ve just complied and given us his hands.”

“It was from the start to finish. Shetler fought the whole time,” Cpl. Dylan Toy testified.

Attorneys made opening statements Wednesday morning in the criminal case against Shetler, who is charged with attacking and injuring Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Irvin Shipley. Shipley was part of the group of police serving the warrant for an alleged probation violation.

Shetler is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and single counts of disarming a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.

The alleged probation violation stemmed from a case in which Shetler was acquitted in the 2015 shooting death of St. Clair Officer Lloyd Reed. The police officer was in full uniform when he was fatally shot by Shetler while responding to a domestic abuse call in New Florence.

Shetler claimed he didn’t know Reed was a police officer.

In that case, Shetler was convicted of receiving stolen property and theft of a vehicle, which prosecutors said he stole during an attempted getaway after the shooting. He was serving a probation sentence in that case.

Prosecutors said the bench warrant was issued after Shetler failed to appear for a probation revocation hearing in December 2021.

That previous case is why state police and sheriff’s deputies were concerned about their safety upon checking several homes in the area for Shelter on Dec. 7, 2021, according to testimony. About a dozen officers were working together that night.

Shipley testified the group converged on a Shrum Hill Road home about 10 p.m. to make one final check. Police announced their presence upon arrival and when going inside after getting no response.

Toy said he found Shetler hiding in a bedroom near a futon underneath blankets. Shipley raced in, and another trooper used a Taser unsuccessfully.

“Immediately after the Taser deployment, he became irate,” Toy testified.

Shetler turned to Shipley, grabbed his vest and headbutted him, sending Shipley backward while Shetler spun around, according to testimony. Shipley eventually got his left arm over Shetler’s shoulder and testified he felt Shetler trying to pull the gun on Shipley’s thigh out of its holster.

All of the officers who testified Wednesday described a chaotic scene during which they repeatedly told Shetler to stop resisting.

There were no lights on in the small room of a single-wide mobile home, testified Westmoreland County Sheriff Lt. Jesse Salandro.

“(Shetler) was lunging forward, and, every time the trooper would grab ahold of a part of his arm or his shirt, he would lunge forward to break his grip,” Salandro said.

Shipley, Shetler and a man who lived at the trailer all were taken by ambulance to hospitals.

Shipley said he later was diagnosed with a concussion and a rotator cuff tear. Photographs presented by the defense showed Shetler had numerous injuries on his face and body.

Assistant Public Defender Michael Garofalo said during opening statements that the Taser hit Shetler in the eye. Testimony from officers on scene said they saw it lodged in his cheek.

Garofalo said the number of officers who gathered to find Shetler wasn’t because Shetler had a warrant out for his arrest.

“The real reason … was because he was found not guilty of a homicide on a police officer,” Garofalo said.

Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said during his opening statement the warrant and its subject were deemed a “high risk” because of Shetler’s background.

“There was an inherent risk to police,” he said. “They wanted police to be safe.”