Man accused of shooting at cops waives preliminary hearing
NEW PHILADELPHIA – The New Philadelphia man accused of attempting to murder a police officer was in court Wednesday morning.
Dyllan Riter looks at a search warrant in court Wednesday.
Prosecutors accuse 28-year-old Dyllan Riter of grabbing an officer’s gun during a scuffle last week and shooting it at New Philadelphia police.
There was supposed to be a preliminary hearing at New Philadelphia Municipal Court at 10, but Riter opted to skip that step, so the case will go directly to the grand jury and Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court.
New Philadelphia Police on Wednesday last week attempted to arrest Riter, who was wanted in connection with a pair of armed robberies of Dollar General stores in Stark County. As three officers wrestled with Riter on the ground, police say Riter pulled an officer’s gun from it holster and fired a single shot. Nobody was hit. In bodycam footage, he denies trying to shoot officers.
Riter is charged with three felonies – attempted murder of a police officer, felonious assault of a police officer and theft of a firearm. Officially, he waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday. Prosecutor Ryan Styer executed a search warrant to obtain a tissue sample with a detective swabbing the inside of Riter’s mouth in the courtroom.
Riter also faces aggravated robbery charges in Stark County. He remains in the Tuscarawas County Jail on a $300,000 bond as the grand jury deliberates on a likely indictment.