Trooper pleads not guilty in death of David Kedra
NORRISTOWN >> The state trooper man accused of recklessly using a firearm that led to the death of a fellow trooper waived his formal arraignment scheduled for Wednesday effectively entering a plea of not guilty.
Richard Schroeter, 42, waived the formal arraignment that was scheduled for Wednesday, April 1. By waiving his arraignment, Schroeter did not have to make an appearance in court.
Online court records do not show when his next court hearing is scheduled.
Schroeter is accused of recklessly using his firearm while teaching state police how to use a newly issued firearm at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training in Plymouth Township in September 2014. Prosecutors allege that his recklessness led to the death of 26-yearold state Trooper David Ke- dra.
Schroeter is facing five charges of recklessly endangering another person. A Montgomery County grand jury voted to not charge Schroeter with involuntary manslaughter.
During the grand jury investigation, Schroeter reportedly testified that he did not perform all of the necessary safety checks on the weapon and believed that it was unloaded.
Schroeter has been suspended without pay from the Pennsylvania State Police pending the outcome of his case.
Timothy Woodward, Schroeter’s attorney, said that his client is “racked with remorse” and has been in counseling since the incident.
Kedra’s family has said they are upset that Schroeter is not facing felony charges. Recklessly endangering another person is a misdemeanor.
“David Kedra was a great man,” his sister Christine said in a statement after the charges were announced. “He was a son, a brother, an uncle, a fiancé, and a Penn- sylvania state trooper. He deserves justice from the very system that he died for, and wewill not rest until we have it.”