Nurse assailant waives preliminary hearing
Apr. 23—MAHANOY CITY — A Maryland man charged with assaulting two nurses at a Mahanoy Township rehabilitation and treatment center on March 24 and assaulting a police officer minutes later waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday.
Matthew Edward Calloway, 36, of 8495 Frederick Road, Ellicott City, was scheduled to appear before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah, on charges of three counts each of felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor simple assault and summary harassment.
After conferring with his attorney, Douglas Taglieri, of Pottsville, Calloway decided to waive the hearing and instead answer to all nine charges in Schuylkill County Court.
The proceeding was conducted by video conference since Calloway remains in Schuylkill County Prison, unable to post $100,000 straight cash bail set by Kilker at the time of his preliminary arraignment.
The charges against Calloway were filed by Mahanoy Township Police Chief Brandon Alexander after the man allegedly attacked the nurses at Silver Pines Treatment Center at 5 White Owl Drive, just east of Mahanoy City.
Alexander said he was called to the center around 12:30 p.m. for a report of a disturbance and learned from staff that one of their patients, Calloway, attacked two staff members and that the assault was still ongoing.
Alexander, in paperwork filed with the court, reported entering the room and seeing two staff members struggling to keep Calloway on the ground.
The man was subsequently placed in handcuffs and taken to a police cruiser for safety reasons.
Alexander said he then spoke with nurse Amanda Gray who reported that she and nurse Karen Krause entered Calloway's room to take vital signs when the assault began.
Gray said Calloway began punching her repeatedly in the face until she blacked out briefly. The woman reported she woke up, ran into a bathroom and locked the door, Alexander said.
Krause was interviewed and said she tried to stop the attack on Gray, but Calloway turned to her and began continually punching her in the face until he was pulled away by other staff members, the chief said.
Alexander said Mahanoy City police Patrolman Matthew Williams was assisting and watching Calloway inside the police cruiser outside of the center when Calloway asked him to adjust his handcuffs, saying they were too tight.
When Williams attempted to adjust the handcuffs, Calloway "head butted" him in the chest, Alexander said.
Alexander said both nurses involved in the attack were rushed to a local hospital by ambulance for treatment of major head injuries.
Each has since recovered and were in court Thursday prepared to testify if Calloway chose to have a preliminary hearing.
