CLEARFIELD – A man will serve up to six years in state prison for assaulting personnel of the Penn Highlands Behavioral Health Unit in DuBois in June.
Trent Edward Lee, 25, pleaded guilty to three counts each of terroristic threats and simple assault during plea and sentencing court on Monday.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Lee was demanding to leave and threatening to kill himself if they didn’t let him go. Then he threatened to kill all of the nurses and “tear the place down.”
He tried to break a door hinge, punched the door and then slammed his body into it in attempt to get it open. He also punched a wall with a closed fist.
During the incident, Lee kept making threats that he was going to come back with an automatic weapon and kill everyone who walked into the building.
Later when they tried to give him medication, he punched a staff member in the face and knocked another to the floor where she hit her elbow.
A third member suffered an abrasion of the chest while they tried to restrain him.
Lee also spit on multiple people and tried to bite them.
Prior to sentencing, Lee told Judge Paul Cherry that what he did was wrong and his actions were the result of his mental state at the time. He asked for leniency.
His attorney, Jendi Schwab, noted that Lee has been incarcerated for four months on this case already and stated that his mental health issues required “community support” rather than time in a state prison.
Cherry gave him a total of six months to six years in state prison.
