Ex-police chief likely to plead guilty in federal drug case

Former Greensburg police Chief Shawn Denning is set to plead guilty next month for his alleged role in orchestrating a series of drug deals for a man who turned out to be a federal informant, court records show.

Mr. Denning was arrested in January 2023. He’s charged with six drug-related federal offenses. The charges stem from Mr. Denning’s alleged role as a middleman between a confidential informant and people selling cocaine, ecstasy and Adderall.

Federal court records show Mr. Denning is scheduled for a plea hearing April 16. He also appears set to waive an indictment, which means a grand jury will not hear the evidence against him; rather, the case will proceed using only the original complaint filed by law enforcement.

According to the affidavit against the former chief, a confidential source for the Drug Enforcement Administration met with Mr. Denning sometime in 2021. Mr. Denning was a captain at that time, and — at some point — the source learned the officer could acquire drugs for him.

The source and Mr. Denning allegedly discussed drugs and prices on several occasions before Mr. Denning connected him with an alleged drug seller in California referred to only as “source 1” in the court paperwork.

Mr. Denning allegedly told the source via a messaging app that “I don’t really mess with it I just know the dude who can deliver it to your door step.”

The source, using money provided by the DEA, ultimately purchased a quarter ounce of cocaine for $450 from the individual Mr. Denning had put him in contact with, according to the affidavit. In February 2022, the source paid $1,200 for an ounce of cocaine.

Around the same time, the confidential source asked the chief if he knew where he could find ecstasy, according to the affidavit.

“Yeah, I know like five people, looking for anything specific? How many?” the chief allegedly replied, followed by a photo of a menu of drugs one of his contacts could get for the source, according to the affidavit.

Throughout the transactions with all of the alleged sellers, Mr. Denning acted as an intermediary, nudging his drug contacts for shipment information for the source and asking the source about the quality once it arrived, according to the affidavit.

Mr. Denning could not immediately be reached for comment.