A former Butler County jury commissioner accused of tainting the juror selection process has reached an agreement with the state attorney general’s office without having to enter a plea.

Jon Galante, 28, of Butler Township on Tuesday accepted a pretrial intervention program at his arraignment in county court.

Judge William Shaffer approved the agreement calling for Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, or ARD.

During 18 months of supervision by county probation, Galante must perform 150 hours of community service.

Upon successful completion of the ARD, Galante may request his criminal record be expunged.

“This is an opportunity to earn a dismissal,” Shaffer said during the hearing.

Galante faced four misdemeanor counts of interfering with selection of jurors.

Following the hearing, Galante declined to comment.

Christopher Capozzi, the Pittsburgh attorney representing Galante, said ARD enables his client to avoid a trial.

“It’s not a conviction,” Capozzi said. “It’s not a guilty plea.”

Laurel Brandstetter, senior deputy attorney general for Pennsylvania, referred questions to the Harrisburg press office.

“We feel ARD is the appropriate punishment given Mr. Galante’s lack of a prior record,” said Carolyn Myers, attorney general’s office spokeswoman.

Galante allegedly bypassed the random juror selection process to purposely send juror candidate questionnaires to three county officials and a county resident.

According to the affidavit, Galante admitted taking the action to prove the system could be tainted.

Two of the men who received the questionnaires were county commissioners Bill McCarrier and Dale Pinkerton, who voted last year to cut the part-time jury commissioner posts.

County court administration assumed the duties of the jury commissioners without hiring additional staff.

The salaries and benefits of the two posts were budgeted at roughly $71,000 for 2013.

The third questionnaire recipient was county solicitor Mike English, who advised the commissioners that eliminating jury commissioners was legal.

The fourth person was Connoquenessing Township resident Mark Krenitsky, who publicly supported the elimination of the posts.

Capozzi would not discuss Galante’s motivation for his alleged actions.

“I’m not going to comment on the facts and circumstances of the case,” Capozzi said.

Galante, a Republican, and Clinton Bonetti, the former Democratic jury commissioner, argued last year against the elimination of their jobs.

The men said the potential existed for someone to corrupt jury pools without independent elected officials overseeing the process.

No charges were filed against Bonetti.

McCarrier and Krenitsky, who returned the questionnaires, received summons for jury duty, but were excused from serving.

After the three county officials discovered they each received the questionnaires the same day, court administration was notified.

The state attorney general’s office was subsequently contacted.

Upon learning of the attorney general investigation, county President Judge Thomas Doerr issued a Nov. 22 court order removing Galante and Bonetti from the jury pool selection process before the end of their terms.

Capozzi said ARD is appropriate in Galante’s case.

“He’s a young man with a bright future who’s already contributed a lot to the community,” Capozzi said.

He cited Galante’s volunteerism for nonprofit organizations and youth coaching.

During the hearing, Shaffer warned Galante that violating terms of the program, such as being charged with another crime, could reinstate the charges against him.

“I can remove you from the ARD program,” Shaffer said.