Westmoreland judge rules Shetler trial still timely

A Westmoreland County judge on Thursday ruled time is on the prosecution’s side in its effort to bring a New Florence man to trial on charges that he assaulted police officers.

Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio rejected a defense demand that criminal charges against Ray A. Shetler Jr. be dismissed because they claim his speedy trial rights were violated.

The judge ruled that after defense-prompted delays were taken into account, prosecutors have another 51 days to bring Shetler’s case to court.

The defense argued Shetler’s trial was more than a month overdue.

Shetler, 39, has been in jail awaiting trial since his arrest in December 2021 on charges that he attacked and injured one of several officers while they took him into custody on an alleged probation violation.

Authorities say Shetler fought with officers and headbutted a sheriff’s deputy after they found him hiding under blankets in a futon at a mobile home in New Florence. The deputy suffered head and shoulder injuries requiring hospital treatment, prosecutors said.

Shetler was subsequently charged with aggravated assault of a law enforcement official, disarming police and resisting arrest.

He previously was tried and found not guilty in a 2018 trial in the shooting death of St. Clair Township police officer Lloyd Reed.

Reed, who was in full uniform, 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 theft of a vehicle, which prosecutors said he stole during an attempted getaway after the shooting. He was serving a probation sentence for that arrest.

Prosecutors claimed Shetler violated the terms of his release when he tested positive for illegal drugs in August 2021 and failed to contact probation officers.

Defense attorneys claimed prosecutors did not bring Shetler’s latest criminal case to trial time within the time frame of the state’s speedy trial laws. That law requires prosecutors to bring cases to trial within six months for jailed defendants and within a year for those not in custody.

Additional time is added when a defendant is responsible for a trial delay.

The defense also claims Westmoreland County’s criminal trial system is unconstitutional. Shetler’s lawyers argued at a hearing this week that the trial system includes artificial delays based on court administrative issues such as courtroom and lawyer availability.

Bilik-DeFazio did not address those issues in her ruling.

Assistant Public Defender Jennifer DeFlitch said the defense will appeal the judge’s decision.

Shetler’s trial is scheduled to begin Monday, Oct.2.

“We expect that it will be delayed until the Superior Court can make a decision on our appeal,” DeFlitch said.