It did not take Jack Stollsteimer long to put his own stamp on the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.
And take a swipe at his predecessor on her way out the door.
A little more than 48 hours after placing his hand on the Bible and taking the oath of office as the first Democrat ever elected to the county's top law enforcement position, Stollsteimer held a press conference - and came out firing.
The new D.A. announced his office would withdraw 28-year-old shoplifting charges that had thrown a wrinkle into the push for parole for a man convicted of second-degree murder in a fatal Overbrook pharmacy heist back in 1992.
David Sheppard Sr. had spent 28 years behind bars for his role in the robbery that culminated in the murder of beloved pharmacist Thomas Brannan. Sheppard was not the shooter, but acted as a lookout in the heist.
Both Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Gov. Tom Wolf, both Democrats, had pushed for clemency, and the governor granted Sheppard a commutation of his sentence.
But instead of going free, Sheppard's release was delayed when then incumbent District Attorney Katayoun Copeland, a Republican, announced her office would arrest Sheppard on the old shoplifting charge, stemming from the theft of jeans from a defunct store in the Springfield Mall. Decades ago Sheppard had been released on bail but never showed up for his court date. He was then arrested for his role in the deadly robbery and had been in prison ever since.
Copeland eventually relented and Sheppard was released on unsecured bail into a community corrections facility on Dec. 9, with the proviso that he return to county court for a Jan. 21 trial date on the old theft charge.
Not anymore.
"We are not going to spend another dollar of taxpayers' money pursuing that case," Stollsteimer said at his initial press conference in office. "We are ending the prosecution of this 28-year-old retail theft case of a pair of jeans that never left the Springfield Mall."
It was the right call.
But Stollsteimer was not done.
He called Copeland's move to intercede and prosecute the old retail theft case a "political stunt," and openly suggested perhaps his vanquished opponent was "auditioning for a job in the Trump administration."
He said prosecution of Sheppard on a 28-year-old shoplifting case would amount to a "miscarriage of justice."
He labeled Copeland's stance as a "vendetta."
"This is not a serious case and the idea that the Delaware County District Attorney's Office would be pursuing it 27 years later as sort of a vendetta against a man whose sentence was commuted for a far more serious crime - in fact the most serious crime that we have in the crimes code - just sends the wrong message," he said.
"We want to be fair, we want to be just to everybody, and we think the fair and just thing for Mr. Sheppard is to dismiss this case."
Stollsteimer went one-for-two.
We agree on the outcome for Sheppard; we disagree with his volleys against Copeland.
The Republican D.A. said from the outset - even as the case sparked national headlines and comments from celebrities such as the Kardashians - that this case was not about the shoplifting charge, but instead justice for a person forgotten in the heated rhetoric surrounding the case.
That would be Brannan and his family.
Copeland pointed out that the family had never been contacted by anyone in the office of Democratic Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner, law enforcement or the state to alert them of the move to commute the sentence of the man who was partly responsible for their father's murder. The family apparently had not been registered as victim contacts.
Copeland stood in the rain outside the courthouse beside Brannan's daughter, Evelyn Brannan Tarpey, to make sure that voice was heard. Tarpey came forward to represent a faction she says was ignored in this process – the Brannan family. She said she was coming forward to make sure what happened to them – only learning about the release of a suspect in their loved one’s murder from press reports – so that others will be spared the same fate.
Copeland stressed her stance was never about denying clemency for Sheppard on a 27-year-old shoplifting charge.
“Victims and their families deserve a role in the process, but in this case the family was wrongfully denied that opportunity,” Copeland said. “Not once was the family of the victim notified about Sheppard’s pending motion by either the board or the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office who prosecuted the case. The family never had the chance to voice their objection and let the board know how this convicted murdered continued to affect their families.”
Lt. Gov. Fetterman, who has made the efforts to reform the state's parole and commutation process one of his signature issues, actually came to Delco to meet with the family.
“Victims have a right to be heard, when they were there and sat through the trial,” Copeland said. The D.A. stressed her involvement in the case was not to present Sheppard’s release, but to assure victims’ rights also were represented.
Wednesday, after being informed of Stollsteimer's comments, Copeland again stressed the reasons behind her stance.
"The case for my administration was never about shoplifting, It was about having Thomas Brannan's family's voice being heard, and it is only thanks to us that it finally was,." Copeland said.
To his credit, Stollsteimer said he consulted with the Brannan family before announcing his move to drop the old shoplifting case.
"We wanted to make sure that we talked to them and let them know what we were doing, that we were withdrawing prosecution on this case," Stollsteimer said. "They completely understand and they, I think, are appreciative of the fact that we reached out to them ... And I just want to thank them and let them know that they are in our thoughts, as all victims are of crime in Delaware county."
Stollsteimer based his campaign on reform and using the resources of the D.A.'s office to better deliver justice - for all.
In this case, we think he succeeded.
That applies to his predecessor as well.
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