Consent Disbarment For Lawyer Accused Of Threats

A Pennsylvania attorney has consented to disbarment.

Pennlive Patriot News reported on criminal charges in February 2021

A woman who tipped off police that her husband was planning on attacking government officials weeks after the Washington, D.C., riot said he had the “means to do it,” according to court documents.

Kenelm L. Shirk III, accused of threatening to kill federal leaders, was stopped by state police on Jan. 21, police said. The Ephrata lawyer was found with an AR-15 rifle, two handguns, “a large quantity of ammunition” (including 30 rounds of .380 bullets), rope, gloves, and about $5,000 in several rolls of $50 bills, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Shirk was arrested at a Sheetz near Shippensburg. He was not only planning on harming D.C. officials, but his wife said he also had threatened her, according to the affidavit.

The couple had had an argument about the election, but charging documents do not specify when the fight occurred

Shirk lives in Cornwall, Lebanon County. Authorities issued a bulletin about 8:20 p.m. on Jan. 21, according to LancasterOnline, which first reported the story.

That’s when police “pinged Shirk’s phone” to locate him, according to the affidavit. Troopers along Interstate 81 south were able to intercept him. He was stopped at about 8:25 p.m. Shirk’s silver 2020 Subaru Forester was surrounded by police at the Sheetz gas pumps and they took him into custody.

After he was detained, the 71-year-old underwent a mental evaluation at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital. A nurse, who has been in the medical field for 16 years, told police she thought Shirk “sounded serious about killing his wife and others,” the affidavit said. The nurse said she “did not want to see it on the news and feel like she was responsible.

Documents showed the nurse relayed to authorities that Shirk “made comments about shooting government officials in their front yard. This along with his comments about not being afraid to die made her afraid.”

According to the affidavit, the nurse reportedly found 50, quarter-sized plastic crosses in a bag in Shirk’s briefcase.”

The nurse notified the FBI after she found a “to-do list in Shirk’s briefcase,” which included on one side of the list, “guns, ammo, ropes, tools, meds, magazines,” according to the court documents.

He has been in Franklin County Jail since Jan. 22 without bail on two counts of terroristic threats.

Shirk’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 8 before Chambersburg District Judge Glenn Manns.

 

(Mike Frisch)