It’s been eight years of profane signs, noise complaints, harassment allegations and neighborhood disturbances involving retired Bradford school teacher Nancy Fire, and now Bradford City Police have filed a criminal charge against her.
Fire, 72, of 29 Abbott Road, also owns a property at 44 Thompson Ave., where neighbors allege the same behavior takes place.
A third-degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct — unreasonable noise was filed Monday by Bradford City Police Chief Mike Ward. Prior to this, the allegations she faced were non-traffic citations, subject to fines.
“The noise disturbances at night have failed to cease and desist,” the chief explained. The charge is for her Abbott Road address. “All we want is the disturbances to stop. I know city code enforcement has been taking action to the fullest, and we’re doing what we can within the law to make it stop.”
Back in March, Fire was found guilty in absentia by District Judge Dom Cercone in four cases involving disorderly conduct and harassment in both Abbott Road and Thompson Avenue neighborhoods. Neighbors allege she makes loud and unreasonable noise at all hours of the day and night, banging doors and garbage cans, yelling and screaming outside, blaring music for hours on end and disturbing the neighborhood. Her lawns go without mowing until code enforcement gets involved, and has to move her numerous — often profane — signs to mow the lawn.
The content of the signs cannot be regulated under free speech laws, and while city officials are unhappy with the messages she posts, there is nothing that can be done.
She has been cited by the city’s property maintenance department regarding her lawn multiple times.
“The city recently had to mow the lawn at both her properties,” city administrator Chris Lucco said, commenting that it is public record. “She will be assessed full cost for the service.”
Lucco declined to discuss the matter further, saying only that, with the criminal case, “The hope here is there’s some sort of probation or court-ordered mental evaluation.”
Fire stands to be arraigned in this case at 2 p.m. July 12 before Cercone.
Regarding the pending charge, Ward said, “We’re arguing that she’s intentionally making the noise. The residents up there (on Abbott Road) have the right to sleep peacefully and live without disturbances. We are not going to tolerate her behavior.”
The Pennsylvania Crimes Code definition of disorderly conduct as a third-degree misdemeanor is “if the intent of the actor is to cause substantial harm or serious inconvenience, or if he persists in disorderly conduct after reasonable warning or request to desist.”
Generally speaking, under Pennsylvania law, charges in some instances may escalate should the conduct continue to be repeated.
According to the online court docket, it appears as though Fire has had seven prior cases of disorderly conduct or harassment as non-traffic citations, for all of which she was found guilty.
