Slatington area woman charged with assaulting elderly woman

A Slatington area woman has been charged with assaulting an elderly woman who has custody of her children.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by trooper Blake Shortall of the Pennsylvania State Police, Troop M, Bethlehem:

At 11:06 p.m. March 7, Shortall was dispatched to Best Station Road, Washington Township, for a report of an in-progress assault between two women.

Neighbors contacted PSP Bethlehem Communications Desk and reported a younger woman was assaulting an older woman inside the residence.

Upon arrival, Shortall made contact with the victim, 80, who said she was the owner of the residence along with her husband.

The victim said that her grandson’s ex-girlfriend, Krista Rice, 29, broke into her residence via the kitchen window.

The victim said that she has full custody of Rice’s children, a 5-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, and that Rice has expressed her desires to take the children from her.

The victim said that sometime between August and September, Rice was told that she was no longer welcome at the residence and was no longer living at the residence.

Rice had been living elsewhere since being told to leave.

The victim said that on this date, Rice approached the home when the victim heard footsteps on the back porch in the snow.

Rice knocked and slammed on the door multiple times, when the victim told her to leave and go away as she was not welcome.

Rice proceeded to the front porch and rang the doorbell numerous times when the victim told her to leave and get off the property.

Rice then grabbed a metal flagpole in two pieces from the front porch and broke the kitchen window, and proceeded to climb in through the window and entered the kitchen, where the victim was standing.

Rice grabbed the victim by the arms, shoved her against the kitchen wall near the staircase, and covered her mouth with her hand to prevent the victim from yelling “help” to neighbors outside.

Numerous witnesses ran over to the residence, and Rice yelled for them to leave.

Rice than ran upstairs to the children’s bedroom and woke the children and told them to get ready.

The victim said she was calling the police, and Rice ran back downstairs, left the residence by the rear door and ran down Clover Hollow Road.

When Shortall arrived on scene, he saw a broken window pane on the front porch; a metal pole lying on the ground; as well as a matching metal pole lying on the kitchen floor inside the residence.

Shortall checked on the two children, who said that their mother entered their room before police arrived, and woke them up and told them to get ready to leave.

Both juveniles said that they were scared and frightened by their mother’s actions and didn’t know what to do.

A canvass of the surrounding area was conducted, but Rice could not be found.

The victim said that Rice was on foot when she saw her; however, was unsure if she had a ride to leave when she fled the scene.

The victim said that Rice has been staying with numerous people since she left the victim’s residence, and for an unknown period has been living outside in the woods and may be homeless.

Rice faced charges of criminal trespass, criminal mischief, harassment and defiant trespass.

She pleaded guilty to the charges of harassment and defiant trespass, while the charge of criminal mischief has been withdrawn and the charge of criminal trespass has been changed.

Rice is currently incarcerated in the Lehigh County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.