Only one of two things will end Phillip S. Schneider’s picketing in front of the Mercer County Courthouse: an apology from the district attorney or his ailing back.

And Mercer County District Attorney James P. Epstein said he is not apologizing.

Schneider, a 52-year-old retired Marine and wounded Vietnam veteran, picketed the courthouse last summer over terroristic threat charges that were dropped.

He renewed his one-man protest Monday. Carrying a sign calling the district attorney corrupt, Schneider said he will picket daily and it will last "indefinitely" until he gets a public apology from the DA or his back injury forces him to end his protest.

Grove City police charged Schneider April 16, 1998, accusing him of threatening to kill his then brother-in-law Danny Como, Schneider said. When Como refused to testify at a preliminary hearing before District Justice Lawrence T. Silvis, Worth Township, the charges were dropped.

But for Schneider, that was not the end of his case.

Epstein said, Schneider filed a series of civil and criminal complaints against Como, Grove City police patrolman Wesley P. Carson, Grove City borough and the DA.

Schneider claimed Como had stolen some coins and held a grudge against him because he knew it. Schneider also claimed Carson should have checked that out before arresting him.

Epstein said he refused to prosecute Como.

"I did not find Mr. Schneider’s claims to be credible and did not believe that a criminal prosecution based on those claims served the best interest of justice," Epstein said Tuesday.

Schneider appealed and Mercer County Common Pleas Court upheld the DA’s decision not to prosecute, Epstein said.

According to Schneider, a federal judge then dismissed the lawsuits against Carson and the borough.

To clear his name, Schneider said, all his criminal records should be destroyed. "They only expunged records that they wanted to get rid of, and kept records that were helpful to them," Schneider said.

Epstein said Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas R. Dobson permitted Grove City borough to keep a copy of Schneider’s records, so the borough could defend itself in the federal civil lawsuit. The DA added that he has destroyed all his records on Schneider’s criminal case.

However, Epstein said, he will not apology to Schneider. "I’ve done nothing to Mr. Schneider to warrant an apology."