CLEVELAND — Anthony Butler Jr., the man who is accused by prosecutors of driving the car of Officer Shane Bartek the night the officer was shot and killed, faced a Cuyahoga County judge on Wednesday. 

What You Need To Know

  • Anthony Butler Jr. has been charged in connection with the theft of Officer Shane Bartek’s car

  • Butler entered a not guilty plea in a Cuyahoga County courtroom on Wednesday

  • Bartek was killed on New Year’s Eve in an alleged carjacking

  • Tamara McLoyd faces murder charges in connection to Bartek’s death

Butler, 28, entered a not guilty plea in the court of Judge John J. Russo. Butler was indicted on counts of receiving stolen property, failure to comply and obstructing official business. 

He also faces a charge of grand theft auto for a Dec. 18 incident. He previously pleaded not guilty to that charge. 

Bartek was killed on New Year’s Eve in an alleged carjacking. Officials said that Bartek was the victim of a carjacking.

The suspect in Bartek’s death, 18-year-old Tamara McLoyd, is facing an aggravated murder charge and had her bond set earlier this month at $5 million. Prosecutors are accusing McLoyd of killing the officer in the parking lot of an apartment building on Rocky River Drive. 

Prosecutors said McLoyd took Bartek's car and that car ended up in the hands of Butler, an alleged accomplice. Police said there was a chase involving several police departments and Butler crashed Bartek's car in Euclid. After having his initial bond set at $5 million, his bond has since been lowered to $100,000.

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