CLEARFIELD – The trial for an Olanta man accused of assaulting a state trooper has been cancelled.
Dale Edward Shaffer, 35, was charged with aggravated assault, disarming a law enforcement officer, two counts of endangering the welfare of children, simple assault, fleeing or attempting to elude police and harassment after an incident in Olanta on April 30.
Shaffer was scheduled to go to trial on Sept. 24-25, but that was cancelled Monday after he signed a plea agreement. He will be sentenced within 60 days.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, a trooper was patrolling when he saw a Mazda SUV that had a registration number belonging to a Honda.
The trooper pursued the vehicle through Knox Township where it drove down Zion Road, then Clark Road and then turned onto a dirt gas well road. On this road, they encountered a natural barrier that prohibited them from continuing.
The Mazda stopped and the driver got out. The trooper also left his vehicle and a physical altercation ensued where Shaffer delivered several punches to the trooper’s head. He also attempted to strangle him.
During the struggle, Shaffer grabbed the trooper’s gun and tried to remove it from his holster.
Shaffer stated “give me your gun. Give me your gun.” Eventually he fled on foot.
When another trooper arrived on the scene, he called for an ambulance. They discovered Shaffer had left two girls, aged two years old and three years old in car seats in the backseat of the Mazda.
They reportedly identified Shaffer as their father and the older child confirmed she was riding with her “daddy.”
A helicopter was utilized by state police to search the area before Shaffer was taken into custody, according to previous reports.
Shaffer remains incarcerated in lieu of $150,000 bail.
