Agreement could lead to dismissal of charges
Butler police and the attorney for a city man charged with assaulting a patrolman last week have reached a tentative agreement for the dismissal of criminal charges.
The proposed resolution also allowed Mark A. Lilley, 27, to get out of jail.
The agreement was hammered out Monday at the office of District Judge William Fullerton, where Lilley was to have his preliminary hearing.
It calls for the defendant to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendations. He also must complete 30 hours of community service.
If he complies with the conditions of the agreement and stays out of trouble, said Lilley's attorney, Andrew Stiffler of Pittsburgh, “the court is willing to let my client plead (guilty) to two summary offenses after 90 days.”
Police arrested the defendant June 2 on Race Street after officers were called for a fight between two men, neither of whom was Lilley.
He eventually showed up and “demanded to know what was going on,” according to charging documents. Police suspected Lilley had been drinking alcohol.
He allegedly refused to leave and became “aggressive.” When Patrolman Michael Sulerud tried to place him on the curb, the defendant spun around and struck the side of the officer's head with his hand.
Lilley was arraigned on a felony charge of aggravated assault, a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest and a summary charge of public drunkenness. He was placed in the Butler County Prison on $75,000 bail.
But the two criminal charges would be dropped under the agreement. Instead, he would plead guilty to public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, both summaries.
The agreement came after Stiffler met with police, including Sulerud.
“I talked to the officers, who were willing to amend this,” Stiffler said. “They understood our argument. (Lilley's) a family man; he's on a manager-training program at KFC (and) he has two kids.”
He also has no prior criminal record.
“This is a very favorable result,” Stiffler said, “and I'd like to thank the officers for that as well as the court.”
Fullerton agreed to change Lilley's bail to non-monetary, and he was released from prison. Upon his release, he was to immediately report to the Butler County probation office.
