Woman accused of stabbing husband waives hearing

September 03, 2009|By DAVE McMILLION

HAGERSTOWN -- The case against a Maugansville woman charged after her husband was taken to the hospital with stab wounds has been forwarded to Washington County Circuit Court, according to Washington County District Court records.

Washington County District Judge Frederick J. Bower found probable cause to advance charges of first- and second-degree assault against Barbara Ann Merrbaugh to Circuit Court after Merrbaugh waived a preliminary hearing, according to court records.

The state decided not to prosecute charges of attempted first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder against Merrbaugh, 44, of 13908 Maugansville Road, according to court records.

The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 4 at 1:20 a.m., when police who responded to 11 Tulip Court in Hagerstown found blood on a living room wall, according to court documents.

Jack Merrbaugh told police he arrived home and found his wife had locked him out. After he climbed inside, his wife yelled and accused him of cheating on her, Jack Merrbaugh was quoted as saying in court records.

Merrbaugh alleged his wife came at him and pulled his shirt over his head, and he felt himself being stabbed in the back. Merrbaugh was stabbed three times in the left shoulder blade, twice in the left triceps and once in the head, according to court records.

A pair of scissors with blood on them was in the house, police said.

A separate case against Barbara Ann Merrbaugh also was heard Wednesday in District Court.

In that case, the judge found probable cause to forward to Circuit Court charges of manufacturing or distribution of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a controlled dangerous substance against Merrbaugh after she waived a preliminary hearing.

Those charges stem from a controlled purchase of cocaine on May 28 conducted by the Washington County Narcotics Task Force, according to court records.

A confidential narcotics informant had arranged to meet a man to buy cocaine at a restaurant on Dual Highway. The informant went to the restaurant, but was told by the man on the telephone the informant instead would be meeting a woman named Barbara, according to court records.

The informant gave the woman money in the restaurant's parking lot and she handed the man a white powder substance believed to be cocaine, according to allegations in court records.

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