Man Who Rammed Courthouse with Truck Gets Jail

The man who rammed his truck into a Falls Township courthouse plead guilty and will serve time in jail for his crime.

William Shaw, 52, of Levittown, backed his s red 1998 Chevrolet Blazer through the front doors of the courthouse belonging on District Judge Jan Vislosky on New Falls Road n March. The damage cost Bucks County thousands of dollars, but lead to no injuries because the incident happened in the pre-dawn hours.

At Shaw’s preliminary hearing in April, a detective said he assumed Shaw had a problem with the with the court. Shaw has had previous run-ins with police in Falls Township.

Mark Lucio, an EMT headed to work in New Jersey, said in court in April that he saw an SUV in the parking lot of the courthouse around 4 a.m. on March 13 and heard glass shatter shortly after but didn’t see the truck hit the front doors. After hearing the crash, Lucio said he called police to report what he heard.

According to court papers, Shaw returned to the scene of the crime several hours later and Sgt. Sven Beauchmin noticed the 52-year-old was not driving his familiar red 1998 Chevrolet Blazer. Shaw had an odor of alcohol coming from his breath and became “deceptive” when Beauchmin asked where the Blazer was, court papers state.

Police later interviewed Shaw and recovered his damage truck, which he parked off Falls-Tullytown Road, court papers say.

Due to the damage caused to the front of the courthouse, all court proceedings were canceled on March 13. However, the district court remained open and the clerks continued with the important work of the day.

The door as the front of the courthouse were recently replaced.

According to court papers, Shaw will spend six to 23 months in jail, is not to have contact with courthouse staff, must pay over $7,000 in restitution, undergo a mental health evaluation, must stay away alcohol and serve probation after his confinement.

Related:

• Man Rams District Court, Later Comes Back to Scene of Crime, Cops Say