McKean County District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer has announced her candidacy for the Republican Party’s nomination for re-election as District Attorney
While working at area businesses and interning at FCI-McKean, she attended UPB. After graduating with a degree in criminal justice, she was employed by Children and Youth Services. While working at CYS, Shaffer earned her juris doctorate degree, with a concentration in criminal law, from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
She has practiced law in McKean County for nearly 20 years. Shaffer was appointed, by the Court, to be the McKean County Guardian Ad Litem — with the responsibility of representing the welfare of the County’s dependent children. Previously, Shaffer served as the Special Assistant Public Defender. Shaffer was first elected District Attorney in 2015 and was re-elected to her current term in 2019.
With the invaluable help of great police work, Shaffer has established a notable and respected rate of conviction at trial, including — a Marshburg man for homicide by vehicle and leaving the scene, a Bradford man for one of the largest cocaine operations in County history, the first drug delivery resulting in death conviction in the County’s history, and numerous felony drug convictions.
Shaffer has won numerous convictions for crimes of violence, including aggravated assault, terrorist threats, reckless endangerment, and rape. She has also successfully prosecuted theft, arson, burglary, and insurance fraud.
District Attorney Shaffer has won convictions for sex crimes against children, for sending sexually explicit photographs to minors, and for possession of child pornography.
Shaffer has attended hundreds of civic events and has spoken to adults and children on numerous topics, including bullying in schools, on-line safety, child abuse, sexual violence, gun rights, and scams targeting the elderly. Shaffer testified before the Center for Rural Pennsylvania on the opioid crisis.
In 2019, Shaffer created an educational program about drugs that is geared toward our County’s children. During Shaffer’s tenure as DA, she has grown the K9 Unit under the umbrella of the County Detective Bureau to include drug-detecting dogs, explosive-detecting dogs and tracking dogs. Currently, Shaffer is working to create a victim advisory board and a child predator unit at the District Attorney’s office.
District Attorney Shaffer said: “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve the people of McKean County as their District Attorney. My performance as District Attorney demonstrates that I have the experience, the integrity, and the ability to serve and to protect you and your family. I would be honored to receive the voters’ continued support in the May 16th Republican Primary.”
Shaffer has lived in McKean County for nearly 30 years. She has been involved with many local organizations, including Rotary, the Elf Fund, the Bradford Exchange Club, the United Way, the YWCA, the Guidance Center, and Northwestern Legal Services. She supports several local causes, including No Feline Left Behind, the SPCA and Kids and Cancer. She and her husband, Brian, reside in Foster Township.
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