Allegheny County

Bus aide arrested, facing 13 charges after allegedly stabbing worker, holding teen at knifepoint

LEET TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A woman, who is a school bus aide, is facing 13 charges after Leet Township police said she stabbed a school nurse in the back and held a 14-year-old boy hostage.

The Watson Institute, a school for students with special needs, was on lockdown as police investigated Wednesday.

One faculty member was taken to Allegheny General Hospital.

Officers were successfully able to take the aide, Rochelle Pinkle, into custody. Court documents said she had to be tased and she kicked and bit officers as they tried to get her into handcuffs.

At approx. 0905 hours The Leet Township Police Department along with multiple surrounding agencies responded to a...

Posted by Leet Township Police Department on Wednesday, November 17, 2021

A spokesperson for the Watson Institute said that the campus immediately entered into lockdown procedures and emergency crews were contacted.

“The safety of the students in Sewickley was ensured either through securing them in their classrooms of having them wait on their bus. No other injuries occurred, and students and staff were able to return to normal school procedures as soon as emergency personnel cleared the area,” the institute said in a statement.

Pinkle faces 13 charges in connection with the incident.

It’s unclear if the two women knew each other.

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