A University freshman was arrested for allegedly assaulting her roommate early Tuesday morning after the victim was found beaten and covered with blood on the second floor of Harshman-Anderson.
Sharronda Barkley allegedly hit her roommate Heather Haase, also a freshman, in the head and arm with a hot flat iron, according to the police report.
The iron was recovered by police at the scene as evidence, and was found broken in two pieces.
Barkley was charged with felonious assault, and is being held on $25,000 bond, according to Sergeant Amy McGiffins at the Wood County Justice Center.
The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
According to the police report, Haase came home and Barkley asked to speak to her about allegedly having a camera hidden in the room.
Following a dispute over the camera, Haase reported that Barkley proceeded to hit her in the head and burn her arm with the iron.
When questioned by police, Barkley said Haase fell out of bed and hit her head on the iron. Barkley also denied hitting Haase.
Following questioning by the University’s Campus Police, Barkley was taken to the Wood County Justice Center.
Haase was transported to Wood County Hospital following the incident, and was then transferred to St. Vincent’s in Toledo, where she was treated and released.
Haase sustained four separate lacerations on her skull, two contusions to the face and chin, a burn on her left arm and a skull fracture.
Sergeant Dennis Ehlers spoke with students on the floor after the incident to calm them and inform them of the counseling center’s resources.
Other floor residents remain shaken by the incident.
“We had just gone to bed and heard screaming and she was sitting right by our door, and she was all bloody,” said Emily Bodart, freshman. “Then we went down to the front desk to tell them.”
Other students tried to comfort Haase.
“We were all just sitting with her,” said Jessica Jackson, freshman.
Screams could be heard by other residents, according to Kara Hendrick, freshman.
“I was in my room sleeping and my roommate said ‘do you hear all that?’ and we heard all this screaming,” she said.
Following questioning, Haase was carted out of the residence hall.
“They [the police] were asking her questions and stuff and they took her out on a stretcher,” Bodart said.
Following the commotion, students remained shook up, Bodart said.
“When we saw her [Haase] we thought she was attacked outside or something,” Bodart said. “Everything happened really fast. It was crazy.”
Others lost sleep during the commotion.
“A lot of people were really tired for class the next day,” Bodart said. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
The details of the assault remain vague for the residents.
“We don’t know what exactly happened in the room,” Jackson said. “We only know what happened in the hall.”
Henrick echoed Jackson’s experience.
“They [police] weren’t allowed to tell us what happened, they said it was confidential,” she said.
Only a few days into the semester residents hadn’t gotten to know Barkley yet, Bodart said.
“Our floor is really close but she never came to talk to anyone, she seemed kind of [agitated],” she said.
The incident was an ironic start for the semester, Henrick said.
“It was weird, when I first came here my mom was concerned about safety,” she said. “But I trust my roommate.”
According to Bodart, there was a meeting on the floor with the resident advisors and the hall director following the incident.
Haase later returned to get her belongings, according to Jackson.
“When she came back she had stitches on her face,” she said. “She seems to be physically doing OK. We know she’s not coming back this semester.”
According to Bodart, floor residents are collecting money to send flowers to Haase.
The University won’t stand for these acts, according to Ed Whipple, vice-president of Student Affairs.
“I think any incident where there is alleged violence we take very seriously, and it’s something we’re not going to tolerate,” he said.
Respect remains a core value at the University, Whipple said.
“In a living community it’s critical that people respect each other,” he said. “Some students respect each other and understand that but others don’t know what that means — to respect each other.”
Students who may find themselves in a similar situation are advised to get help immediately, said Detective Tim James of the Department of Public Safety.
“They should just call the police immediately unless they are injured and need medical assistance,” he said. “They just have to communicate effectively if they can sense a dispute has gone to a level they can’t handle, they need to go to a RA or Hall Director for help.”
Thanks for posting that.
I don't trust the quotes in that story. How likely is it that a bunch of college girls could have uttered all those sentences without even one superfluous 'like'? ;O)
"The incident was an ironic start for the semester, Henrick said."
I'd say! As a former Res Hall staff member, this story hits home.....