CORNWALL, Pa. — Note: The video is from Feb. 3.
A Lancaster County attorney accused of planning an attack on government officials in Washington D.C. in the weeks after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol has been disbarred, according to the Disciplinary Board of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Kenelm L. Shirk III, 71, who resides in Lebanon County but practiced law in Ephrata and was the former solicitor for the borough of Akron, is disbarred on consent from the Bar of the Commonwealth, effective June 11.
Shirk was arrested in Shippensburg on the night of Jan. 21 by State Police troopers stationed along Interstate 81 South assigned to detain him.
He was charged with two counts of terroristic threats, according to the criminal complaint against him filed by State Police.
He was allegedly on his way to Washington, where he planned to attack government officials, according to police. He claimed he would commit "suicide by cop" if he was met by police on his way.
Police say Shirk's wife contacted authorities after he argued with her over the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to the criminal complaint affidavit filed against him.
Shirk's wife claimed he had threatened her life and told her of his plans to attack members of the government, according to police.
When he was detained, Shirk allegedly had a rifle, handguns, and ammunition in his vehicle and a "to-do" list in his possession that included items like "guns, ammo, rope, tools, meds, magazine," police say.
Two nurses at Chambersburg Hospital who performed a mental evaluation on Shirk following his arrest allegedly told investigators his behavior was "intimidating, disconcerting, and disturbing," according to police.
One of the nurses reported that she found 50 plastic crosses in a briefcase belonging to Shirk -- one that also contained his to-do list, police say.
"It was almost as if (Shirk) intended to leave them at the crime scene," the nurse told police, according to the complaint.
One of the nurses, who said she had been in the medical field for 16 years, reported she found Shirk's behavior particularly disturbing, and did not want to go to work knowing a patient like him was at the hospital.
"She had a strong gut feeling and instinct that this was more than just a guy who was having a bad day and angry about the election," police said in the complaint.