C. Scott Shields, 45, Pa. mayor and attorney (killed in skydiving accident)
Diner
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/118725104.html
Posted on Sun, Mar. 27, 2011
A life of gusto cut short
Delco mayor who died skydiving lived fast.
By Maria Panaritis and Jeff Shields
Inquirer staff writers
He was a lone-wolf lawyer and freelance conservative crusader with a
passion for skydiving, fast cars, motorcycles, and anyone he thought
was on the right side of the U.S. Constitution.
As brash on a case as he was brave in the skies, he once called for
the arrest of Mayor Nutter over gun control, was nearly ejected from a
Philadelphia courtroom in a defamation case, and became known as the
go-to guy in heavily Democratic Southeastern Pennsylvania for right-
wing legal challenges involving gun rights or free speech.
But Friday, after the father of three left his Delaware County home to
indulge in one of his greatest addictions, the life of C. Scott
Shields came to an early and most-unexpected end.
Shields, a small-town GOP mayor and criminal defense attorney whose
controversial side cases included a court battle that knocked down
Philadelphia's effort at enacting gun-control laws, died while
skydiving in South Jersey.
His main parachute failed to open, authorities said, and his emergency
chute failed to open completely near Cross Keys Airport in
Williamstown. An autopsy Saturday found that he died of multiple
injuries, said Bernie Weisenfeld, a spokesman for the Gloucester
County Prosecutor's Office.
Detectives planned to turn the case over to the Federal Aviation
Administration after a scheduled meeting with the agency Saturday
night, Weisenfeld said.
Though Shields was only 45, the burly and broad-framed Haverford High
School graduate with a salt-and-pepper beard, cache of high-speed
toys, and soft spot for Bob Dylan and Jackson Browne, had become known
as one who lived life - and defended his convictions - to the extreme.
"He seemed like a bit of a free spirit, and pursuing with gusto that
which he believed in," said Philadelphia lawyer George Bochetto, who
sparred with Shields in a case that sought to enhance the city's power
to enact gun-control laws. Shields had opposed the city's efforts on
behalf of the National Rifle Association.
"It may not have always made for polite politics or perfect courtroom
decorum," Bochetto said of Shields' boisterous reputation, "but he
certainly believed in his causes, and he certainly put everything he
had in them."
Longtime Delaware County Republican lawyer and politician G. Guy Smith
virtually echoed Bochetto's assessment.
Shields was mayor of the 860-person borough of Rutledge, near
Swarthmore. His interest in politics did not derive from ideology, nor
did the legal cases he chose to pursue.
"He took on causes not just because people came to him," Smith said,
"but because he thought there was a sense of right of what was needed
to be done. He had that passion for upholding the law - even in
difficult circumstances."
Smith has practiced law for 41 years in Media, where Shields also ran
his one-man office. Skydiving, he said, was a big deal for Shields,
who adored the adrenaline rush of a free fall. But so was the law.
His highest-profile cases dealt with politically charged issues:
Last year, Shields won a federal appellate court ruling in favor of
antiabortion activist Michael Marcavage, who had been arrested in 2007
while protesting on the sidewalk near the Liberty Bell. The court
ruled that Marcavage's free-speech rights had been violated.
Also last year, he successfully defended a defamation case in
Philadelphia Common Pleas Court against a man who had distributed
leaflets claiming that City Councilman Jack Kelly backed a "homosexual
agenda which would promote sodomy to our youth." Judge Albert J. Snite
Jr. threatened to arrest Shields at one point for disregarding an
order during opening statements.
In a 2005 case, a Philadelphia judge threw out all criminal charges
against antigay street activists whom Shields was representing.
A shameless addict of all things fast, Shields often tried to persuade
friends to join him on skydives, said one who always refused, Robert
Bohne, of Brookhaven.
About a week ago, when the pair ran into each other at a Prospect Park
bar they often visited after work, Shields was showing off pictures of
a new high-speed motorbike he had just bought. That was in addition to
the Porsche he also owned.
Bohne and Shields were unlikely friends: Shields would write
archconservative letters to the editor of their local newspaper; Bohne
would counter with liberal rebuttals. (On his Facebook page, Bohne
lists among his activities and interests: "Telling Dick Cheney to shut
the hell up.")
But when they met for the first time at a bar a few years back, they
hit it off, partly because Shields had a good sense of humor and they
both appreciated Dylan music.
"He was a very nice guy," said Bohne, an Amtrak traffic controller who
was stunned to learn of his pal's death in the newspaper Saturday
morning. "He was a character. I didn't agree with him, but he was
still a really nice guy."
Contact staff writer Maria Panaritis at 215-854-2431 or
mpana...@phillynews.com.
Staff writer Monica Yant Kinney contributed to this article.