FILE PHOTO: In this March 27, 2015 file photo, Pennsylvania State Police block the road to an apartment complex in Hempfield, Pa.
Keith Srakocic / AP Photo
Inmate accused of trying to kill Pa. troopers must stand trial
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The Associated Press
Keith Srakocic / AP Photo
FILE PHOTO: In this March 27, 2015 file photo, Pennsylvania State Police block the road to an apartment complex in Hempfield, Pa.
(Indiana, Pa.) — A state prison inmate must stand trial on charges that he tried to murder two Pennsylvania state police troopers in a plot to steal their unmarked cruiser and drive back home to Philadelphia.
A judge issued the ruling Tuesday during a hearing for 20-year-old Simere Alford.
Authorities say Alford tried to commandeer a state police car driven by Trooper Jeremy Leasure on June 24 as Leasure and Trooper Allison Goswick neared the entrance to Pine Grove state prison in White Township. They say he grabbed one of the trooper’s guns and fired two shots.
The car soon crashed and both troopers were injured along with Alford. But all have since recovered.
Alford faces numerous counts, including attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault. He has said he wasn’t trying to kill the officers.
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