Pitchfork-dancing woman threatens to burn down man’s house over chickens, ”I’m the new Freddy Krueger”

Neighbors can be difficult to deal with at the best of times. Spats over property lines or arguments over who owns a tree when branches hang over a fence between houses aren’t uncommon. However, a man in Pennsylvania ended up having a terrifying encounter with a woman living on his street, which resulted in the police being called.

It all began when the neighbor, Susan Shea, started dragging a pitchfork up and down the street in front of the man’s house, while screaming threats about what would happen if she wasn’t paid for her chickens. The man had no idea what she was talking about. Now the neighbor faces several charges related to the incident. 

Shea threatened not only the man but his family and dog

According to Law & Crime, Pennsylvania State Police were sent to Otter Creek Township, Pennsylvania, on September 28, after a man called about a woman threatening and harassing him and his son. Allegedly, Shea was threatening bodily harm and property damage. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found Shea “dancing with a pitchfork” and screaming at the man from the road.

After officers spoke with the witness, he explained that she was yelling that she would “burn down both his house and his son’s house with him and his family in it.” Her alleged reasoning was not being compensated for her chickens, though nobody is sure what happened to the alleged chickens in the first place that would require compensation. However, Shea’s threats soon escalated.

At one point, Shea reportedly threatened to kill the family’s dog. The man explained to the cops that at another point, she supposedly stated, “If you take a step towards me, I will put this pitchfork through you.”

The man Shea was harassing even got video of the woman’s behavior, which he handed over to the authorities. In the video, the woman was holding the pitchfork and purportedly exclaimed, “You guys are going to have nightmares of my face. I’m the new Freddy Krueger.” (A reference to the villain of the film “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”)

Now Shea faces several charges

When police initially arrived at the scene, they told Shea to go home so they could talk to the witness. However, at a later point, authorities arrested Shea, after which she was placed in the Mercer County Jail. It’s unclear whether she remains there at this time.

Now, the 58-year-old woman faces a number of misdemeanor charges, including disorderly conduct, harassment, and terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another. Reportedly, she was already on probation stemming from a conviction for disorderly conduct and simple assault in 2023, though it’s unclear how that might affect this new case.

Shea has a preliminary hearing with a district magistrate on October 26 to answer the latest charges against her.

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