SMETHPORT — Larry W. Shroyer, one of three accused in the November 2015 overdose death of a Bradford man, has asked for a jury trial.
Shroyer appeared for plea conference Thursday in McKean County Court, where he made the request before President Judge John Pavlock.
Shroyer is accused of selling a mix of butyrfentanyl and heroin to George Duke Jr., who was found deceased in his bedroom Nov. 13, 2015, according to court records. Shroyer allegedly purchased the fatal dose from Rachel L. Reid, 28, who testified at a preliminary hearing that she was selling drugs as an employee of sorts for then-boyfriend James A. Luper Jr., 44.
Luper and Reid are also charged in Duke’s death.
Shroyer is charged with aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, both first-degree felonies; delivery of a controlled substance, conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance and distribution of a designer drug and conspiracy to distribute a designer drug, all felonies; involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy to commit involuntary manslaughter, first-degree misdemeanors; recklessly endangering a controlled substance, a second-degree misdemeanor; and possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.
Shroyer is also charged in a separate but related case with flight to avoid apprehension, a third-degree felony.
According to court records, he told a Bradford City Police officer over the phone that he would turn himself in on the drug-related charges; however, he never showed up at the police station. Police arrested him more than a week later at a Looker Mountain Trail residence.
Shroyer asked for a trial for both cases on Thursday.
District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said there was no active plea agreement for Shroyer. A previous plea that called for a prison sentence of 57 to 114 months had required early cooperation from Shroyer — with which he was unwilling to comply.
She added that she will be filing a motion to conjoin his case with his co-defendants’ cases at trial.
Shroyer’s attorney, John Thomas, indicated he would reject a joinder.
Shroyer is incarcerated on $100,000 bail for each of the two cases. A pretrial conference is set for 3 p.m. May 10.
A last day to plea conference scheduled for Luper on Thursday was continued to 1 p.m. April 12, the same day that Reid’s is set to be held.
Shaffer and Luper’s attorney, Daniel Lang, indicated the continuance is due to the large volume of discovery in the case.
Reid is represented by Christopher Martini.
Luper is jailed on $100,000 bail, while Reid is free on $10,000 unsecured bail.
