A Pennsylvania man was startled to find his neighbor dragging a pitchfork up and down the street and threatening to stab him and burn down his house, authorities say.
Susan Shea, 58, is charged with terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, harassment and disorderly conduct, according to Mercer County court records.
On Saturday, Pennsylvania State Police were called to Henry Road in Otter Creek Township, in the northwest of the state, about 80 miles north of Pittsburgh. A man reported that his neighbor was threatening and harassing him and his son.
The trooper arrived to find Shea “dancing with a pitchfork” and yelling at her neighbor from the road, according to a criminal complaint obtained by regional WFMJ. The officer told her to go home and then spoke with the witness.
The neighbor reportedly said Shea had been making threats and screaming while dragging the pitchfork up and down the street near his house. She allegedly said she would “burn down both his house and his son’s house with him and his family in it” if she didn’t get compensation for her chickens, though it was unclear what she meant.
“If you take a step towards me, I will put this pitchfork through you,” the defendant added at one point, according to the court document. She also allegedly threatened to kill the son’s dog.
Police said the neighbor recorded a video of Shea holding the pitchfork. In it, she said, “You guys are going to have nightmares of my face. I’m the new Freddy Krueger,” a reference to the popular movie franchise “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
Shea was arrested and placed in the Mercer County Jail. Court records show she has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 26.
The charges are allegations, and Shea is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. It is not clear whether she has retained an attorney, and the dispute over the chickens remains unexplained in the court documents.