Woman held on neglect, other charges in Polk Center incident

A Cochranton woman accused of using a Taser on a Polk Center resident was ordered held for court Wednesday in Venango County Central Court.

Erin Sibble, 29, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing, but prosecution and defense attorneys reached a stipulation, allowing charges to move forward to the Court of Common Pleas.

Sibble has been charged with misdemeanor counts of neglect of a care-dependent person and recklessly endangering another person and a summary count of harassment.

Venango County assistant district attorney Kyle Peasley said that a stipulation, while not an admission of guilt, means the defendant doesn’t dispute the information that appears in an affidavit of probable cause.

Peasley said that means a judge can use all this information in making decisions, but the defense may challenge the case with a legal defense such as details of the arrest, filing of paperwork or reliability of witness testimony.

The charges against Sibble stem from a December incident at Polk Center during a shift when Sibble was working.

The affidavit of probable cause says another employee told police Sibble had showed her something that looked like a small flashlight but was actually a Taser.

The employee said Sibble handed the Taser to a resident who shocked himself with it and jumped in his chair, the affidavit said.

Sibble then shocked another resident with the Taser and threatened to do it again if the resident didn’t sit back down, the affidavit said.