Clearfield County District Attorney Candidate: William A. Shaw Jr.

1. Provide a brief professional and personal background.

I first joined the District Attorney’s Office in 1997 when I was hired by then-district attorney, the Honorable Paul E. Cherry.  I worked as an assistant under Cherry for six years.

During that time, I was trained by Cherry and learned how to prosecute criminal cases and to manage the Office of District Attorney.

In 2001, I was appointed by Cherry as the first assistant district attorney, a position I held until being first elected as the district attorney in 2003.

As an assistant district attorney and first assistant district attorney, I was trained by Cherry to conduct jury trials and prosecute criminal cases.

I was also trained by Cherry to conduct murder trials, and I successfully obtained my first murder conviction in October of 2000 and have successfully prosecuted a volume of murder cases since that time.

I am a 1985 graduate of Clearfield High School. Following graduation from high school, I served six years on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard.

I was stationed in South Florida where I served as a Coast Guard law enforcement officer. During my enlistment, I received extensive training in federal law enforcement and investigation.

I made multiple felony arrests, including arrests for drug smuggling and alien immigration. I assisted the U.S. Attorney’s Office with preparation for criminal prosecution and have testified as a Coast Guard law enforcement officer in various federal courts.

Following my initial enlistment, I worked my way through college and law school by serving in the Coast Guard Reserves. As a reservist, I served on active duty during the summer months, and was stationed on the Great Lakes and the Coast Guard District Headquarters located on Governor’s Island, N.Y.

During my final year of law school, I served as an active duty legal intern for the Coast Guard’s legal division.

I returned to Clearfield County following my initial service in the Coast Guard and enrolled in the first class of students attending the Clearfield Campus of Lock Haven University.

I graduated summa cum laude from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s degree in criminology and went on to earn my law degree from the Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, R.I.

I am a life-long resident of Clearfield County and my wife, Jennifer, and I make our home in Pine Township.  I am also the son of retired Clearfield County Prothonotary William Shaw and Jeannie Shaw.

I am an avid outdoorsman, a member of various sporting clubs and civic organizations, a life member of the NRA and a member of the St. Francis Catholic Church.

2. Why did you choose to run for the office of Clearfield County District Attorney?

I joined the District Attorney’s Office in 1997, and at the time, I had a salary of less than $20,000.  I have never worked in the District Attorney’s Office for money.

I work as a prosecutor because I believe in doing good for my community, and I believe in the mission of a prosecuting attorney.

Because of my background in law enforcement, from my years spent in the U.S. Coast Guard, I have always had a passion to work as a prosecuting attorney.

Today, people seek the job for the wrong reason, specifically for the salary and that it the wrong reason.   I believe in serving my country and my community and that is why I am running for the position of district attorney.

3. How many cases have you tried in court?

Since joining the District Attorney’s Office in 1997, I have conducted over 120 jury trials.  Thirteen of those trials have been murder trials, including a death penalty trial.  I have personally selected over 160 juries and prepared those case for trial.

Of those juries selected, over 120 have gone to trial.  The remaining cases have settled prior to the trial beginning.  I average approximately two juries selected each trial term and slightly more than one trial completed each trial term.

The trials I have conducted include murder, rape, burglary and other serious felony cases.  Because of my excellent reputation for obtaining convictions, many defendants decide to tender a guilty plea at the last minute and seek leniency from the court.

It is always a benefit to taxpayers when criminals tender a guilty plea.  The high cost of trial and subsequent appeals is avoided.  Plus, a guilty plea is a guaranteed conviction that holds the offender accountable.

I am the only candidate who has ever prosecuted a jury trial.  My opponent has never prosecuted a single case and is never in criminal court.  My opponent has never conducted a single preliminary hearing – not one.

My opponent has never filed or argued a pretrial motion – not one.  My opponent is never in the criminal courtroom, except for sentencing of his clients who have all pleaded guilty.

I am the only candidate qualified to serve as your district attorney.

4. If elected, what would be your top priority as Clearfield County District Attorney?

I have several priorities.  Initially, I want to guarantee that the Drug Court that I have created is successful.

Our goal is to identify first-time, non-violent drug abusers and divert them to therapy and counseling to prevent future drug use, future crime and future cost to taxpayers.

I have partnered with the Clearfield Jefferson Drug & Alcohol Commission and Cen-Clear Child Services to provide exceptional services.

We now have a case manager embedded in the county jail to screen candidates at the preliminary hearing stage for suitability in drug court, and we have a physician who can examine candidates and recommend placement in drug court.

In short, the drug court I have created satisfies all the requirements of the law to operate a drug court.

Additionally, I want to continue building on the services offered by our Child Advocacy Center.  I am proud to report that we now have a medical professional on staff who can examine children of abuse at our CAC without the need for these children to go to the hospital.

This is very important to minimize trauma to the child.  I have partnered with Cen-Clear to provide services for our CAC, and I can’t be more thankful for the awesome job Cen-Clear does to provide exceptional services.

It is because of Cen-Clear we have such a great CAC, and I hope to continue the improvements.

5. What are the greatest challenges facing the District Attorney’s Office? If elected, how would you overcome them?

The greatest challenge facing the District Attorney’s Office is the continued loss of funding and budget reductions.

Last year more money was cut from the district attorney’s budget, and as a consequence, my office is down a full-time assistant district attorney.

This makes it very difficult to handle the huge caseload of serious and complicated cases.  If re-elected, I will continue to work hard to make certain that criminal cases are prosecuted, and criminals are held accountable, despite budget limitations.

6. What do you think is the most effective way to deal with low-level drug offenders?

For the past two years, I have had countless meetings, phone calls and observations to develop a Drug Court in Clearfield County.

I am proud to report that I have partnered with the Clearfield Jefferson Drug & Alcohol Commission and service providers like Cen-Clear to start a Drug Court.

The program I have developed, with the help of many service providers, seeks to identify non-violent, first-time drug abusers and provide them with intense counseling and therapy to prevent future drug abuse, future crime and future cost to the taxpayers.

In November of 2018, five months before my opponent ever announced an intent to seek election, we applied for a grant to obtain a case manager who would be embedded in the county jail for the purpose of screening candidates at the preliminary hearing stage.

We have a physician on staff who can examine and evaluate candidates for suitability to participate in Drug Court.  My goal is to divert non-violent, first-time offenders from future criminal activity.

7. As District Attorney, what do you think is the best way to deal with the overpopulation issue at the Clearfield County Jail?

Overcrowding at the county jail has been an issue for many years.  Keep in mind that in Pennsylvania we spent over $2 billion tax dollars last year to keep people in state prison.

That is why there is such a debate about Drug Court or Diversion Court.  The state wants to divert people from state prison to save tax dollars.

The county wants to divert people from county jail to save tax dollars.  No matter where people are incarcerated, it is our tax dollars, yours and mine, that pay for the incarceration.

This is an issue that hasn’t been decided, and as a society we are still figuring it out.  I have created a Drug Court in an effort to ease overcrowding at the county jail.

I am targeting first-time, non-violent offenders for therapy and counseling.  On the other hand, if someone breaks into your home and commits a violent crime while using drugs, that person need to be incarcerated.  I’m willing to pay my fair share for that person to be locked up.

I am doing my best to address the issue and will continue to do everything I can to ease this problem. It is a very difficult issue with no easy answers.

8. What new programs and policies would you implement as District Attorney to reduce crime and to increase public safety in Clearfield County?

To help reduce crime, I have created a Drug Court to identify first-time, non-violent drug abusers and provide them with therapy and counseling to prevent future drug abuse and future criminal activity.

I also run and manage a Crime Stoppers program that enables public members to submit anonymous reports of criminal activity, including drug activity.

We get reports from our Crime Stoppers Web site every day, and these anonymous reports lead to criminal investigations and arrests and promote public safety.

Citizens are willing to use our Web site to make reports because they know the reports are anonymous.

9. As District Attorney, what would you do to develop a trusting relationship with the communities of Clearfield?

I have a very trusting relationship with the communities of Clearfield County.  I routinely participate in community activities, including parades and similar social events.

For many years, I have taken McGruff the Crime Dog to visit schools, scout troops and young people to promote several safety topics including drug awareness, internet safety, anti-bullying, safe touch and many other similar issues.

I regularly provide news updates to keep communities informed of law enforcement activities and work very hard to keep citizens updated on ongoing issues.

My office has always been transparent on every issue and that is why I enjoy a trusting relationship with the citizens of Clearfield County.

10. What do you think makes you the better candidate for Clearfield County District Attorney?

My years of experience and proven ability to successfully prosecute the most difficult of criminal cases makes me the best candidate for Clearfield County District Attorney.

Over the years, I have taken on very difficult and complicated criminal cases and have gained successful convictions.  I have helped thousands of crime victims seek justice and recover restitution.

I have learned to manage a high-volume case load with very little resources.  I am a leader in creating crime-fighting techniques.

I have created the highly-successful Fugitive of the Week program, that is now copied by countless departments throughout the state.

I was the first district attorney in the state to institute a process for electronic discovery to save tax dollars.  My electronic discovery program is now copied by many District Attorney Offices in the state.

Through my hard work and leadership, Clearfield County now has a fully-functioning Child Advocacy Center that is invaluable for our investigation of child abuse and treatment of child victims.

I believe all these attributes make me the better candidate for Clearfield County District Attorney.

I am the only candidate with the experience and knowledge necessary to supervise a staff of young assistant district attorneys who look to me for advice, guidance and answers to very difficult legal issues.

My opponent simply does not have the experience of skills necessary to supervise a young staff of assistant district attorneys.

If my opponent would be elected, it would be the assistant who had to teach him, and that is wrong.  My opponent does not have and will not have the experience and qualifications to be the district attorney by Election Day.  I am the better candidate.

I was able to achieve my very notable accomplishments because I first worked as an assistant district attorney for six years before assuming office.  During that time, I learned how to manage the office and prosecute crime.

My years of training under the Honorable Paul E. Cherry have paid off for our community.  Like then-District Attorney Cherry, my office continues the awesome achievement of maintaining a 99 percent conviction rate.

This is an outstanding record that I have worked very hard to achieve, and a record that I am very proud of.  Someone with no experience will never achieve these goals and will only tarnish the fine reputation of the Clearfield County Office of District Attorney.

That is why I am the best candidate.  I respectfully ask for your vote.