CLEVELAND — The man who was arrested following a chase connected to the death of Cleveland police officer Shane Bartek made another court appearance Monday morning.
This time it was a video arraignment held in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. During the brief court appearance, a not guilty plea was entered and Butler was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 9 a.m.
Butler's arraignment hearing had been temporarily delayed so jail officials could provide him with a headset in order to properly hear the court proceedings via video.
Butler made his first court appearance in the case last week. He’s accused of leading police on a pursuit while behind the wheel of Bartek’s vehicle, which was taken after the officer was shot on New Year’s Eve.
Bartek, 25, was shot in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 4300 block of Rocky River Drive around 6 p.m. on Dec. 31.
“Detectives reviewed video surveillance footage, which showed Bartek being ambushed and robbed by an armed subject,” according to a criminal complaint in the case.
Officer Bartek was a two-year veteran with the Cleveland Police Department.
The alleged murder suspect in Bartek's death -- 18-year-old Tamara McLoyd -- made her first court appearance last week as a judge issued a $5 million bond on the charge of aggravated murder. On Friday, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced 10 charges against her, which include:
- Two counts of Aggravated Murder
- Two counts of Murder
- Two counts of Felonious Assault
- One count of Aggravated Robbery
- One count of Grand Theft
- One count of Having Weapons Under Disability
- One count of Petty Theft
Court records show she’s scheduled for an arraignment hearing in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.