A Schuylkill County woman is behind bars today following a standoff with police in Tamaqua over the weekend.
At about 11:20 p.m. Saturday, Tamaqua Police were dispatched to 501 Washington St. in the borough for a reported disturbance. Upon their arrival, police say they met with the resident of that home who said he and a male friend were inside when they heard the basement door being forced open.
The friend reportedly told police he saw the friend’s wife – identified as Alysha Hartshorn, 39, of Tamaqua – kick and force her way through the basement door.
Hartshorn then allegedly grabbed two rifles from a rifle case inside the home and took them and a box of ammunition to a bedroom on the second floor.
At that time, Hartshorn’s husband and his friend told police they fled the residence.
Tamaqua Police say they attempted to negotiate with Hartshorn to exit the residence but she refused and barricaded herself in that upstairs bedroom with the rifles. That’s when Tamaqua Police contacted State Police, who eventually activated their Special Emergency Response Team (SERT), which led to a standoff that lasted a little more than four hours.
As Coal Region Canary arrived at the scene, State Police were looping a bilingual audio message over a very loud speaker. “THIS IS THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE. WE HAVE A SEARCH WARRANT FOR THE RESIDENCE. SURRENDER THE RESIDENCE IMMEDIATELY.”
Members of the SERT were maneuvering around the residence and on Railroad and Washington streets as well as Rolling Mill Ave. Several sharpshooters were positioned behind barriers and a concrete wall at the North and Middle Ward Playground, at the rear of the surrounded home.
The silence of the middle of the night was interrupted only by the constant whizzing of a drone stationed over Vine St. for much of the duration of the standoff. This lasted for about 4 hours before police began to make their move on the home.
Shortly before 3:30 a.m., police brought their Rook armored vehicle to the side of the residence. With several agents behind an armored shield, they were lifted to a second-story window and its glass was shattered. This allowed a drone to enter the home.
From there, police were clearly able to get the drone camera’s eye on the suspect. On a loudspeaker, police spoke directly to her.
“Alysha, come out of the house with nothing in your hands. Listen to my instructions … Do the right thing for your children.
“Alysha, we know you’re in that closet. We want you to come out. Keep coming, Alysha. Come out. Clear the barricade from the door and come outside the residence. Come downstairs and come out the front door.
“Alysha, we’re here to help you. Clear the barricade from the door and come downstairs. Keep going. Do the right thing. We know you’re in pain in there. We’re here to help you. Keep crawling out. Push that out of the way. Crawl downstairs.
“Alysha, keep pushing it. Keep pushing it. Alysha, please put your hands on top of your head. Alysha, keep pushing that door open. Do the right thing. We’re here to help you. Alysha, can you hear me? Put your hands above your head … We want to help you. Push that door open. Push the barricade away from the door. Alysha, push the door open. Come downstairs and out the front door. We’re here to help you. Downstairs, Alysha. Keep going. Do the right thing.”
Hartshorn finally made her way to the front porch and was taken into custody at about 3:55 a.m.
What Led to Standoff in Tamaqua?
While speaking with police, Hartshorn’s husband reportedly said there is an active criminal case against her involving his juvenile son. Based on court records obtained by Coal Region Canary, the incident that prompted that case allegedly happened on Jan. 3, in which Hartshorn is accused of being abusive to three children, including pulling one by the mouth upstairs, throwing a shoe at another child, and throwing a vape at a third.
She was charged with a count of simple assault and three counts of harassment related to that incident and was remanded to Schuylkill County Prison on 10% of $20,000 bail. On Jan. 28, that was modified to $20,000 unsecured. All charges in that case were waived to Schuylkill County Court at a preliminary hearing on Jan. 27.
On Feb. 22, police in Tamaqua say they were dispatched to the same residence shortly before 10 p.m. for a reported domestic dispute. During that incident, Hartshorn allegedly struck her husband in the head with an ashtray as a verbal argument escalated.
She was arraigned on charges of simple assault and harassment related to that Feb. 22 incident and remanded once again to Schuylkill County Prison on 10% of $5,000 bail, which Hartshorn posted on March 9. The husband told police this weekend that conditions of Hartshorn’s bail were that she was not to have contact with him, his son, or be at the Washington St. residence.
New Charges Connected to Standoff
After being taken into custody, Hartshorn was arraigned Sunday morning before Magisterial District Judge Christian Lengel and charged with felony counts of criminal trespass and witness intimidation as well as two misdemeanor counts of simple assault. Lengel remanded her to Schuylkill County Prison for a third time this year, now on $100,000 cash bail.
Sentenced to Probation from 2025 Incident
In May of last year, Hartshorn was involved in another public incident in Tamaqua. On May 12, shortly after 3 a.m., police say they were called to the 900 block of E. Broad St. in the borough for a report of a vehicle stopped in the middle of the street.
As they arrived, police found a vehicle with its driver and passenger doors open along with its cargo gate. Keys were still in the ignition and the engine running as music was blaring.
Through their investigation, police say they had obtained video showing Hartshorn walking in the middle of the road. Witnesses reportedly told police that Hartshorn was saying another person was running around with a gun but those witnesses did not report seeing any other person. Police say they did recover an unloaded rifle from the passenger seat of Hartshorn’s Toyota Sienna at the scene.
While this was happening, Hartshorn’s children were reportedly home alone. However, the three counts of endangering the welfare of children were disposed at District Court.
Court records show Hartshorn agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge and the counts of DUI and public drunkenness were dismissed. She was sentenced to one year of probation.
STANDOFFS
This incident was the third armed standoff with State Police in less than a week in Schuylkill County, with previous incidents in Ryan Township and New Philadelphia. See our coverage of the other incidents below …
Ryan Township
Schuylkill County Woman Shoots Man in the Arm, Faces Attempted Homicide Charge
Attempted Homicide Suspect Allegedly Threw Her Pee During Prison Intake
New Philadelphia
Schuylkill County Man Dies Following Hours-Long Armed Standoff with Police
Subscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...