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Man accused of vandalizing Zelienople businesses last month in jail for different crime

ZELIENOPLE, Pa. — Michael Shipley is behind bars and accused of intimidating witnesses against him in another case.

Zelienople police said they were called to Fisher’s Bar and Grill Sunday night where they said Shipley left a suspicious package out back on the garbage can. Then, he offered two customers money to give the package to an employee inside.

“They were offered $5 to do it which they refused to do it and they were real suspicious of the package. It alarmed the people inside the building they thought it could have been an explosive inside the building,” said police Chief James Miller.

After police investigated, it turned out there wasn’t anything dangerous in the package. There were sticks, rocks and other little items in the package.

“It just the idea of having a sealed package unmarked sitting behind a building nowadays you have to be suspicious of things like that,” said Miller.

Police identified Shipley using surveillance video. Now he faces additional charges, including terroristic threats and witness intimidation.

“At Fisher’s, they are witnesses against him in a case that’s gone to court already,” said Miller.

Last month, Shipley was accused of vandalizing the bar and a few other businesses in the area. Police said he threw a table through the front door of the bar and spray painted graffiti on the building and the nail salon next door.

Then, at Tony’s Exxon on Route 19, police said, Shipley broke in, ransacked the place and tried to pry open the cash register with a hatchet, all while a worker was there.

Shipley still faces several charges in that case and was free after posting bond. Now he’s back in Butler County Prison unable to post bail on a new $25,000 dollar bond.

Police say the suspicious package really scared the employees at Fisher’s. Channel 11 went there but employees did not want to comment.