KINGSTON – The Ulster County grand jury has indicted an Esopus man on a charge of attempted murder of a police officer as well as other charges.
The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office had received calls from acquaintances on February 9 to check on Clayton Shafer’s welfare in his RV located at his business premises a short distance from Robert Graves School on Mountain View Avenue in Esopus.
When the deputy sheriff responding to the call turned into the driveway, the 52-year-old Shafer confronted him with a loaded AR-15, pointed it at him and attempted to shoot. “As a result of the extraordinary courage, skill, and evasive training of the responding deputy, no lives were lost and passing motorists were protected,” said District Attorney David Clegg.
The road was closed to traffic while law enforcement dealt with Shafer until he was taken into custody without any injuries to anyone.
