A Ferguson Township Police officer who shot and injured an armed man while in the line of duty Saturday night was cleared yesterday of any wrongdoing.

The five-member Police Review Board ruled that Officer Robert Glenny acted appropriately when he fired his gun at a man who had allegedly threatened to shoot anybody who came near him at a Patton Township mobile home park where he lives.

Officers from four local police departments went to the mobile home park Saturday night after they received a call that an armed man at the park had threatened to kill himself or anybody who approached him. When officers arrived, they found Charles Vaughn Sorrels of 1857 N. Atherton St. with a gun.

The gun was later found to be only a pellet-gun replica of a .357-caliber Magnum, but officers thought it was a real Magnum at the time.

"If a person threatens you with a gun and you think it's a gun . . . then it becomes a gun for all legal purposes," Ferguson Police Chief Edward Connor said.

Police said Sorrels refused repeated orders by officers to relinquish his gun and then allegedly threatened Glenny with the weapon.

That's when Glenny made the decision to shoot Sorrels one time in the chest, Connor said.

Sorrels is listed in fair condition at Centre Community Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Connor, a member of the Police Review Board, said Glenny showed a tremendous amount of restraint by waiting to fire his gun until Sorrels was less than eight feet away.

"I've seen a level of professionalism that is second to none," Connor said. "Overall, the board found that the prior training kicked in and everybody did an admirable job when you considered all of the aspects of the incident."

Glenny has been recommended to receive a commendation for either bravery or valor, Connor said.

Glenny returned to work last night after being on administrative leave pending the internal investigation's results. A psychologist who examined the officer gave him a clean bill of health yesterday, Connor said.

Experts recommend that officers involved in shootings return to duty as soon as possible in order to aid their recoveries, Connor added.

Connor said Sorrels has a long history of mental health treatment and that efforts should be made to prevent future incidents like Saturday's shooting.

"I really hope that something positive can come out of this, and if anything can, it can be an improvement on the mental health system," Connor said.

He said police officials planned to meet with the Centre County Board of Commissioners and other county officials to see what future actions can be taken to improve the mental health system.

Rockview State Police are conducting a criminal investigation of Sorrels' actions in Saturday's incident.

William Madden, the Rockview police trooper in charge of the investigation, would not comment on its progress or say if charges would be filed against Sorrels. Madden said he planned to attend a meeting yesterday afternoon to learn more about the shooting.

The Police Review Board plans to examine the Ferguson police department's training and tactical procedures to see if any areas need improvement, Connor said.