Penn woman accused of baseball bat assault in Jeannette

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Penn woman accused of baseball bat assault in Jeannette

Paul Peirce | Wednesday, October 23, 2019 4:09 p.m.

Jeannetteճ K9 officer Arees cuddles up to his handler Officer Jim Phillips in his new bullet and stab protective vest at city hall on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The vest was given to Arees by Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., embroidered with the sentiment ҉n memory of K9 Rocco Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.Ӎ

A 32-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday inside a public housing complex in Jeannette where police say she fled after assaulting a woman with a baseball bat.

Heather L. Kunkle of Penn was charged by city police with aggravated assault, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, defiant trespass, flight to avoid prosecution, criminal mischief, public drunkenness, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia after the 8:30 p.m. assault in the parking lot of Jeannette Manor on South Fourth Street.

Jeannette Manor is operated by the Westmoreland County Housing Authority and patrolman Bryan DeFelice said that Kunkle was banned from the property over prior incidents.

DeFelice said in court documents that police were called to the complex for a report of a woman hitting a car with a baseball bat. Witnesses told police arriving at the scene that the woman ran into the apartment building and threw the baseball bat behind a dumpster as she heard patrol cars approach.

According to DeFelice, Jeannette’s K-9 officer Arees and patrolman Jim Phillips tracked Kunkle into an apartment on the second floor and located her hiding beneath a bed. DeFelice said Kunkle refused to come out and Phillips had to subdue her and place her in handcuffs.

Once Kunkle was outside, DeFelice said they were met by a woman who said that Kunkle struck her in her head and left shoulder with the metal baseball bat and then began beating on her car.

DeFelice said the woman had a contusion on the left side of her head and bruises on her shoulder.

“The victim stated that she did not know Miss Kunkle,” DeFelice wrote in court documents.

DeFelice said the woman’s car had more than $1,000 damage.

Officers said that when they placed Kunkle in a holding cell in the police station, she attempted to “shut the metal door” on DeFelice and pushed him.

Police confiscated a metal pipe allegedly used to smoke crack cocaine from Kunkle.

Kunkle was arraigned before District Judge Joseph DeMarchis is in the county prison after failing to post $25,000 bail pending a preliminary.

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