Testimony by two nurses at a Monday preliminary hearing revealed a series of actions by the suspect that led to their alleged assault by a Greensburg man.

Tyler M. Haman, 27, is charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault after staff at Butler Memorial Hospital claimed he attacked two nurses while he was receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment.

Haman was transported to the hearing from Butler County Prison, where he remains on $10,000 bond.

District Judge William Fullerton moved forward both charges to the Butler County Common Pleas Court; however, not before hearing about the events that led to the alleged attack.

During her testimony, nurse Andrea Silverio said the night before the attack, which happened around 3 a.m. Feb. 1, she was called to Haman’s room to calm him down. She said during that time, Haman made a disturbing comment.

She said Haman claimed he could hurt hospital staff if he wanted without repercussions because his mental health diagnosis could be a “get out of jail free card.”

Silverio said Haman then calmed, and she left him in the care of other nurses on the floor.

Nurse Elizabeth Ferrari testified that Haman began acting out. She said Haman, from previous stays, was known to flood toilets.

“We heard a flushing of a toilet three times in about 15 minutes,” Ferrari said.

Ferrari said as another nurse worked to clean the bathroom in Haman’s room, she tried to keep him from hurting himself. She said at some point, she warned him that in doing so he would likely be kept in the hospital longer. She said that’s when he hit her.

“He took his arm and he hit me forcefully in the chest,” said Ferrari, who later elaborated it was with a closed fist. “I heard this crunching and pulling from the top of my head.”

Ferrari said Haman was holding onto her, so she couldn’t see what was happening, but another nurse later told her that Haman had bitten into a part of her hair that was pulled into a bun.

“I was trying to pull away, and I couldn’t,” she said. “He probably would have done worse had those (other) nurses not come.”

Ferrari said a code yellow was called, and a number of hospital staffers arrived to help secure Haman, which included placing him in restraints. She said she was trying to put his hand in a restraint, but was unable to do so quickly enough before Haman struck out at Silverio.

“After he hit me (in the chest), he turned around and grabbed my thumbs, twisting, and he kept trying to pull away my protective (equipment),” Silverio said.

According to both nurses, neither suffered serious injuries from the attack, but they sustained some bruises, scratches and missing hair.

Fullerton asked Ferrari, following her testimony, for clarification about which criteria was met for charges to be filed. She responded that despite his mental health issues, Haman knew who he was, where he was and what he was doing.

“He was able to control his behavior in the recent past during this stay in the hospital,” Ferrari said.

Public Defender Michael McFarland made no argument toward either charge and, initially, he made no request to address bail. Instead, Fullerton prompted the discussion about bail.

“My concern is whether continued incarceration is productive or not,” Fullerton said.

McFarland said currently case workers from Westmoreland County were looking for a place where Haman could live, but were unsuccessful as of yet.

McFarland said without a residence or treatment facility to return to, he felt it was unlikely the judge would have granted a change of bond, to which Fullerton agreed.

Haman also has a history of violence. In 2019, Haman pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault and reckless endangerment for a 2016 incident in Derry Township, Westmoreland County. He was sentenced to two years probation.

Wilkinsburg Police in Allegheny County also filed charges in November against Haman, including two misdemeanor counts of simple assault. According to court records, a preliminary hearing for that case was continued Jan. 13 and rescheduled Sept. 22.

For his case in Butler County, Haman is scheduled to appear April 12 for formal arraignment in county court.