Jeannette plant worker ordered to stand trial, accused of stabbing company manager, assaulting a second

Three managers at a Jeannette manufacturing plant testified Thursday that a co-worker barged into a plant supervisors’ meeting Dec. 2 and stabbed the facility’s safety officer with a utility knife and then attempted to stab the human resources manager.

After listening to more than three hours of testimony from Omnova Solutions officials on the incident, District Judge Joseph DeMarchis ordered their co-worker, Scott Lee “Woody” Woodmancy, 57, of Derry Township to stand trial.

Woodmancy faces a single count of attempted homicide an two counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangering.

“I wasn’t sure whether I’d see my kids again. (Woodmancy) tried to kill me,” the injured employee, Preston Patterson, told DeMarchis pointing toward Woodmancy, who was seated next to his attorney, Duke George of New Kensington.

“(Woodmancy) wasn’t even invited to the meeting. He came in screaming, yelling, shaking, balling his fists,” Patterson said.

Patterson is the company’s health and safety officer. He testified that he had previously reported Woodmancy for not following company masking and personal protection equipment policies.

He said Woodmancy a 10-year-employee had recently returned to work from a 30-day suspension when he followed Patterson and plant human resources manager Jacob Noeller into plant manager Sooviraj Hurgobin’s office.

“He came in and said, ‘Oh this is perfect … you’re all here’,” Patterson quoted Woodmancy as telling the men.

“You are (expletive) with my livelihood,’ he told us as he glared at me. And he claimed the suspension had cost him $8,000. … I don’t know where he got that,” Patterson said under questioning by Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Echard.

Hurgobin testified that Noeller and he attempted to calm Woodmancy and he warned Woodmancy that he would be escorted out of the plant if he didn’t settle down.

Noeller said Hurgobin’s directive to Woodmancy only seemed to further “enrage” him. Noeller said Woodmancy took a swing at Patterson with his left hand that missed, but then pulled a ceramic razor knife from his pants pocket and attempted to stab Patterson.

“I’m glad I was able to put up my arm and block it because he would have stabbed me in my neck,” Patterson testified.

Patterson said he was subsequently stabbed in his left shoulder so he coiled to the floor in an attempt to protect himself.

Patterson told the district judge that Woodmancy tried to stab him “five or six more times” before he was pushed away by Hurgobin and Noeller.

Noeller testified that Woodmancy then attempted to stab him with the knife, but the blade “had broken off” when he initially stabbed Patterson.

Patterson was transported by ambulance to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville where surgeons removed the blade from his shoulder and closed his stab wounds. Patterson testified he has been unable to return to work.

“The first two months it hurt so much I couldn’t even change my infant son’s diapers,” Patterson testified. “Every day when I move the pain is still so constant I think about it.”

He also testified that he vividly remembers what Woodmancy told him before he left the office afterward.

“He told me that he wished that he had cut my jugular vein,” Patterson said.

Noeller admitted under questioning from George that he did not require medical treatment after he was struck by Woodmancy after the attack on Patterson.

Woodmancy, who is free after posting $100,000 bail, pleaded not guilty.

George asked DeMarchis to dismiss the attempted homicide charge that was added to the complaint just prior to Thursday’s hearing.

“There was no mention in the affidavit of probable cause that my client said he intended to kill anyone,” George said.

However, DeMarchis said Patterson’s “spontaneous” testimony that was corroborated by both Noeller and Hurgobin is “sufficient to sustain the attempted homicide charge to proceed to trial.”

Omnova Solutions, which employs about 150 people, produces vinyl and industrial laminating film for such products as awnings and ceiling tile.

Jeannette police Cpl. Chris Mason testified that Woodmancy dropped the knife in the office and fled the office, returning to his work station in the plant where he was taken into custody.

Mason said Woodmancy refused to give police a statement after the assault.