Centre County Woman Accused of Setting Car on Fire, Damaging Old Gregg School

A Penns Valley woman was arrested for allegedly setting her car on fire and damaging the Old Gregg School community center after an altercation at a nearby bar on Thursday night in Gregg Township.

Karen S. Hash, 46, of Aaronsburg, is also accused of stealing another vehicle before she was taken into custody.

A man told state police at Rockview that Hash became aggressive with him after he talked to a bartender at the Frosty Hook, 113 Firehall Road. When they went outside to her car, he attempted to retrieve some items and she began hitting him, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

As he backed away from her, she told him she would burn all of his things, and then he saw a glow coming from the back seat, police wrote.

The car was parked in close proximity to the Old Gregg School, 106 School Street, and the fire caused damage to the newly paved assault and the windows of the building, as well as interior smoke damage, according to the affidavit. Damages are estimated to exceed $5,000, and police wrote that “without fire department intervention, the severity of the damage would have been much greater.”

Gregg Township, Miles Township, Millheim, Centre Hall and Boalsburg fire companies responded to the fire.

Bar staff confirmed to police that Hash was being aggressive with the man and when he came back inside he told them “she set her car on fire,” according to the affidavit. Hash soon after returned to the bar and made no mention of the fire, but continued to be aggressive and left when police were called.

While troopers were on scene, Hash called the man from a land line and said she needed help getting out of the area.

Canvassing the area where the call was made from, police found Hash moving a Toyota Tundra in a driveway on Penns Valley Road. She allegedly said she did not steal the truck but could not identify who it belonged to. The owner of the Tundra told troopers he did not know Hash and had not given her access to it.

Hash also told troopers that she had chased the man at the bar because he hit her, according to the affidavit. She said she was scared and was trying to leave the area when police found her.

Troopers found Hash to be in possession of a torch lighter with dark skulls that glowed, according to the affidavit. Asked by police if he saw what she used to set the car on fire, the man at the bar said he was not close enough to see, but that it was probably a glow-in-the-dark torch lighter with skulls on it.

Hash is charged with felony counts of reckless burning, risking catastrophe, theft and criminal mischief, as well as a misdemeanor count of failing to prevent catastrophe and a summary count of harassment.

She was arraigned on Friday morning by District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker, who denied bail. Hash is currently detained at the Centre County Correctional Facility.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.