Penn Twp. man tries to drive truck into tent
CLINTON TWP — No one was injured at a church picnic when a man deliberately drove his pickup truck toward a tent filled with dozens of parishioners, state police said.
Just 30 feet from the tent, the truck stopped when it got stuck in a field Friday evening.
Church pastor Chris Marshall did not rule out divine intervention had something to do with the good fortune.
“We feel blessed that nobody was hurt,” he said. “God was gracious in the incident.”
Police later arrested Shawn E. McDonell, 36, of Penn Township on several charges stemming from the incident at New Life Christian Ministries on Knoch Road.
Investigators said McDonell about 12:30 p.m. Friday was told by church officials that he was no longer permitted on their premises. Police an hour later contacted him and along with Marshall discussed the reason for the prohibition and the consequences should he ignore the ban.
McDonell and his wife were recently baptized at the church, Marshall said. Both were attending services regularly but were not yet members.
The pastor said church officials decided to bar the defendant from the property because of an earlier incident at the church Friday morning. He would not elaborate.
“The decision wasn’t made to punish Shawn,” Marshall said. “We were concerned for the safety of (church members).”
Despite the ban, McDonell at 5 p.m. that same day showed up driving his 1993 Ford pickup. Church employee James Reedy stopped him at the entrance to the parking lot. He was told to leave.
Instead, documents said, McDonell told Reedy, who was in front of the truck, “get out of my way.” He sped forward, forcing Reedy to jump out of the way. The truck traveled through the gravel lot and continued down a grass hill into a field, where about 50 members were in a tent set up for a picnic, police said.
The truck stopped about 10 yards from the tent “due to it getting stuck” in the field, documents said.
The church security manager rushed in and got McDonell out of the pickup and held him until a trooper arrived.
“Our security people acted appropriately and we’re blessed that nothing happened,” Marshall said. “Our goal is that Shawn gets the help he needs.”
District Judge Lewis Stoughton arraigned McDonell on 50 counts of reckless endangerment and charges of simple assault, trespass, disorderly conduct and harassment.
He is in the Butler County Prison on $30,000 bail.
Penn Township police on Friday also charged McDonell with simple assault and reckless endangerment in an unrelated case.
