SMETHPORT — A Bradford woman was sentenced Thursday in McKean County Court to serve time in state prison for threatening and assaulting workers with Children and Youth Services in July of 2020.

Crystal Knell, 40, will serve 31 to 84 months in state prison, was ordered to have no contact with the victims and to undergo a mental health evaluation, drug and alcohol evaluation and to provide a DNA sample, according to District Attorney Stephanie L. Vettenburg-Shaffer.

Knell was convicted following a two-day trial in April.

According to the criminal complaint, Bradford City Police had been dispatched to her Moorehouse Place residence to assist CYS workers, who had a court order to remove children from the home. When an officer arrived, he learned that when the caseworkers were at the residence, Knell became “distraught and combative” and grabbed a caseworker, shoving her backward.

Knell then grabbed a large kitchen knife and “began waving it at the caseworkers before charging at them and holding the knife up to the neck of one of the caseworkers,” the complaint stated.

She was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault by physical menace; two counts of simple assault by menace; two counts of terroristic threats; and harassment. She was found not guilty on a charge of interfering with the custody of a committed person.

Following Knell’s conviction, Shaffer released a brief statement: “The penalty imposed against those convicted of such crimes will serve as punishment for those who commit the crime and will act as a deterrent for others. It will also serve as another tool to protect those who are willing to serve the public in, often, very dangerous circumstances — for which we are very grateful.”

The case was investigated by Officer Anthony Lama of the City of Bradford Police. Shaffer prosecuted the case on behalf of the Commonwealth.