Unity woman awaiting assault trials blames school hazing allegations for mental spiral

The lawyer for a Unity woman awaiting trial for assault of a nurse and charges she intentionally rammed a car driven by a high school student told a judge on Wednesday her mental health difficulties that led to the criminal cases stemmed from a hazing incident that involved middle school wrestlers.

“That’s what led to her decomposition of her mental health,” said defense attorney Brian Aston after a court hearing to determine whether Susan Barkley can be release from jail prior to her trial.

Barkley, 43, was first charged with 17 counts including aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in connection with an October 2019 incident.

Police said she chased a vehicle on Youngstown Ridge Road driven by a high school student and rammed it twice with her Ford Expedition. The chase ended at Greater Latrobe High School.

Her $1,000 unsecured bond was revoked in that case after her June 2020 arrest on assault and escape charges. Police said she attempted to escape the mental health unit at a Greensburg hospital, grabbed and dragged a technician by the hair and used a pen to stab a nurse in the face, head and thigh.

After a stay in Torrance State Hospital, a Westmoreland County judge last week ruled Barkley was competent to stand trial in both cases.

In court on Wednesday, the mother of the now 19-year-old former high school student who accused Barkley in the road rage incident told the judge Barkley, her husband and son continued to harass their family prior to her jailing.

Stacy Schumucker testified Barkley repeatedly called her employer to demand she be fired. She said her children were subjected additional road rage incidents in which there were attempts to run them off the road.

Schumucker claimed the discord between the families was caused by a wrestling rivalry between their sons.

They boys were members of the Greater Latrobe Area Middle School wrestling team that was at the center of a hazing controversy that saw two coaches prosecuted for not stopping the banned activity.

Four 15-year-old boys, all members of the wrestling team, were prosecuted in juvenile court. Those proceedings are held behind closed doors and the results are not made public.

Coach Cary Lydic was found not guilty of two misdemeanor charges following a nonjury trial last year. Assistant Coach David F. Galando was sentenced to serve two years on probation as part of the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first time nonviolent offenders. He did not plead guilty to the charges.

Nurse Jodie Darr told Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani she still suffers from anxiety caused by Barkley’s attack as she tried to escape from the behavior health treatment program at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital. Darr said she sustained multiple head injuries.

Darr testified Barkley repeatedly stabbed her in the head and face with a pen, punched and kicked her and dragged her into an elevator and continued the attack.

“I was afraid and I feared for my life and thought it would not stop,” Darr testified.

The judge on Wednesday did not rule on Barkley’s request for bail. The hearing will continue later this week.

Barkley, who was recently diagnosed with covid-19 and appeared at the hearing by video from the jail, is expected to testify when the defense presents its case for bail, Aston said.