Man accused of hitting security guard with car found not guilty
The lawyer of a man accused of hitting a security guard with his car begged jurors in Butler County court Thursday to find his client not guilty “and let this man get on with his life.”
And after deliberating for an hour on the felony assault case that began Wednesday, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty, eliciting whoops and praises of God from the defendant's family members attending the trial with Judge William Shaffer.
Peter D. Gall, 32, of Butler was charged in 2017 with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and other charges after he was accused of using his car to hit a security guard at Clearview Mall.
Gall and a friend were parked in the mall's lot on the night of June 20 when two security guards told them to leave. But instead of leaving, a confrontation ensued and continued to escalate with one guard aiming a gun at Gall.
When the 14-member jury, eight men and six women, made their announcement, Gall teared up and hugged his family, including his father, David.
This is an excerpt — pick up Friday's Butler Eagle to read interviews with both Gall and his father.
