COATESVILLE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A 22-year-old Lancaster County man will spend at least 16 years in prison for stabbing a Coatesville police officer in 2021.
For what prosecutors call a violent, unprovoked — and nearly fatal — attack on officer William Cahill, a Chester County judge sentenced Michael White of Manheim, Pa., to 16 to 32 years in state prison.
In September 2021, when White was accused of stealing from the cash register at the Turkey Hill where he worked, on West Kings Highway in Coatesville, Cahill and his partner were sent to meet with him in the convenience store's management office.
Investigators say White admitted to the officers he had stolen $3,000 over several months, including $200 he'd taken just that day, and he told them he would go home and get the money to return it.
However, as White shook Cahill's hand, investigators say, he shoved the officer and then stabbed him several times in the neck and the back of his head.
The Chester County District Attorney's Office says Cahill, a 35-year veteran of the police force, has undergone several surgeries, but his injuries resulted in permanent nerve damage and forced him to retire.
In June, White pleaded guilty to attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, theft and a weapons offense.
