Man who fired officer’s gun pleads guilty to attempted murder
NEW PHILADELPHIA – The man accused of trying to kill a New Philadelphia Police detective with an officer’s gun has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges.
Dyllan Riter, 28, entered his plea Tuesday in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 1.
Riter on Jan. 14 scuffled with police officers who were attempting to arrest him behind an apartment complex on East High Avenue. Police say Riter got his hand on an officer’s gun and fired a single shot that narrowly missed a police detective’s head. The New Philadelphia Police Department posted the body cam video on Facebook.
Riter initially pleaded not guilty to three felony counts – attempted murder, felonious assault and grand theft of a firearm. He changed that plea on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Fred Scott says he faces a maximum sentence of 17 to 22 1/2 years in prison.
Riter also faces separate charges in Stark County, where the sheriff’s office says he robbed two Dollar General stores at knifepoint, including one on the day before his arrest in New Philadelphia. Riter is being held in the Tuscarawas County Jail without bond.
DYLLAN RITER (TCSO)