Background: Part of Henry Road in Otter Creek Township, Pennsylvania (Google Maps). Inset: Susan Shea (Mercer County Jail).
A Pennsylvania man told police he was alarmed when his neighbor allegedly marched along the road carrying a pitchfork, threatened to drive it into him and warned that she would set his home on fire, authorities said.
Susan Shea, 58, is facing charges of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another person, harassment and disorderly conduct, according to Mercer County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Pennsylvania State Police responded Saturday to Henry Road in Otter Creek Township, a northwestern Pennsylvania community roughly 80 miles north of Pittsburgh. A man reported that Shea had been threatening and harassing both him and his son.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by regional NBC affiliate WFMJ, a trooper arrived and allegedly saw Shea “dancing with a pitchfork” in the roadway while shouting toward her neighbor. The officer instructed her to return home before speaking with the complainant.
The neighbor allegedly told investigators that Shea had repeatedly walked past his property while pulling the pitchfork and yelling. He said she threatened to burn down both his home and his son’s house while the families were inside unless she received payment for her chickens. The complaint did not clarify the dispute over the animals.
Shea also allegedly warned, “If you take a step towards me, I will put this pitchfork through you,” according to court documents. Police said she additionally threatened to kill the son’s dog.
The neighbor reportedly recorded video of Shea holding the pitchfork. During the encounter, she allegedly told him and his family, “You guys are going to have nightmares of my face. I’m the new Freddy Krueger,” invoking the villain from the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” horror franchise.
Shea was taken into custody and booked into the Mercer County Jail. Court records indicate that her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 26.
