A judge on Tuesday said a Unity woman jailed for the past year after she was accused of using a pen to attack a nurse at Excela Westmoreland Hospital is not competent to stand trial.
Susan Barkley, 42, will undergo treatment for the next two months in an effort to improve her mental health to the point where she can participate in a trial on charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and escape.
Barkley was charged in June 2020 after police said she attempted to escape the mental health unit at the Greensburg hospital, grabbed and dragged a technician by the hair and used a pen to stab a nurse in the face, head and thigh when they attempted to intervene.
Following her arrest, Barkley spent two months at Torrance State Hospital in Derry Township but has since been held at the county prison without bond. A defense request last year to release Barkley on house arrest was denied.
Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani directed Barkley to receive mental health treatment from a Greensburg-based provider while she remained at the lockup.
The judge said Torrance refused to re-admit Barkley.
In addition to the assault case, Barkley is awaiting trial on charges related to an incident in October 2019 when police said she chased and rammed a vehicle outside Greater Latrobe High School in Unity.
