A registered nurse was hospitalized late Tuesday after Greensburg police said a mental health patient stabbed her with a pen, according to court papers.
Susan Barkley, 41, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail. She is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, escape and resisting arrest.
Officers were called to Excela Health’s behavioral health services unit in Greensburg at 10:30 p.m. after Westmoreland Hospital security reported a stabbing. They found Barkley restrained on the floor of an elevator, according to court papers.
Police said Barkley attempted to escape the unit on the elevator. She allegedly grabbed a technician by the hair and dragged her the ground while threatening to stab her with the pen. The registered nurse intervened and was stabbed in the face, head and thigh, police said.
She was taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville. Police said the nurse’s wounds would require stitches or possibly surgery.
Barkley did not have an attorney listed on court records. A July 2 preliminary hearing is set.
