March trial set for suspect in Indiana officer's slaying

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana man indicted in the fatal shooting of a Terre Haute police detective who was also an FBI task force officer faces a March trial in the slaying.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Craig McKee scheduled Shane Meehan's trial to begin March 28 at the federal courthouse in Terre Haute in last year's killing of Officer Gregory Ferency, the Tribune-Star reported.

Meehan, who is being held by the U.S. Marshals, also faces a Monday court hearing before McKee.

A federal grand jury indicted Meehan on Wednesday on charges of murder of a federal officer, attempted arson of federal property and using a firearm during a crime of violence causing death.

Court notifications filed Thursday show that a preliminary plea of not guilty was entered for Meehan, who has the right to opt for a bench trial or jury trial, as well as the option to seek a plea agreement.

Ferency was 53 and the father of 18-year-old twins when he was killed on July 7, 2021, in Terre Haute, a city about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Indianapolis.

Authorities allege Meehan threw a Molotov cocktail at an FBI office and then shot the officer as he emerged from the building. Ferency and an FBI agent both fired on Meehan, wounding him in the ambush, authorities said.

Ferency was a 30-year Terre Haute police department veteran and he was also a federal task force agent.

Meehan’s attorneys have said he has a history of mental health conditions.