A Shenandoah woman is behind bars after an incident at a local park on Saturday evening that involved the alleged assault of a 12-year-old boy and a subsequent confrontation with police.
Annie Morrisey, 56, of Shenandoah, was taken into custody by the Shenandoah Borough Police Department on April 19, 2025, following a report from a juvenile victim, who said he was physically and verbally attacked by Morrisey at Vine Street Park around 5:04 p.m.
According to police, the child told responding officers that an intoxicated woman, later identified as Morrisey, approached him unprovoked and began yelling racial slurs, including the N-word. She allegedly told the boy, “You don’t belong in this town” and “This town has been ruined since your people moved in,” before physically assaulting him.
The victim reported being shoved multiple times, slapped in the face, spit on, and hit with a thrown beer can. In a further act of lewdness, Morrisey allegedly exposed herself to the child before leaving the scene with the beer can she had thrown.
Police located Morrisey shortly after in the 400 block of West Centre Street. Officers said she appeared visibly intoxicated, slurring her speech and stumbling, with a strong odor of alcohol emanating from her.
When informed she was being taken into custody, Morrisey reportedly resisted arrest, pulling away and struggling with the officer. During the altercation, she slipped out of a handcuff, causing a laceration to her wrist. Police eventually brought her to the ground and were able to detain her after continued resistance.
Even after being restrained, Morrisey allegedly refused to walk to the patrol car, forcing the officer to carry her. Once inside the holding cell at the Shenandoah Borough Police Station, she reportedly became belligerent, threatening to urinate in the cell, spitting, yelling insults at officers, and rattling the cell doors.
A search of her belongings revealed two empty cans of Twisted Tea and a six-pack missing three cans. After requesting medical evaluation, Morrisey was taken to Lehigh Valley East by EMS, but refused treatment and demanded to return home.
Morrisey was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge Stephen Bayer and remanded to Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of 10% of $5,000 bail. She faces multiple charges, including:
- Institutional Vandalism of an Educational Facility (two counts, Misdemeanor 2)
- Simple Assault (Misdemeanor 1)
- Resisting Arrest (Misdemeanor 2)
- Disorderly Conduct – Obscene Language/Gestures (Misdemeanor 3)
- Harassment – Physical Contact (Summary Offense)
- Public Drunkenness and Similar Misconduct (Summary Offense)
Morrisey remains incarcerated and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, April 24, 2025, before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker.