Raymond Arke and Zach Landau
08/01/17: Duquesne University has provided the following statement:
“The University is troubled and deeply disheartened by these events. The allegations, if true, would not reflect the University’s mission in any fashion. We will await further facts as this matter proceeds through the justice system.”
Audrey Guskey, a Duquesne marketing professor and well-known consumer expert, is facing felony charges of criminal mischief after keying multiple cars.
Police in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, are charging Guskey after one of her neighbors noticed damage to his girlfriend’s car and suspected foul play based on camera footage that he believes depicts Guskey.
Guskey’s neighbor went to the police in June to report the incident.
Investigators found that Guskey may have keyed up to five vehicles over three months, racking up damages that exceed $10,000, according to an article from Pittsburgh’s ABC affiliate WTAE.
Guskey reportedly admitted to keying 4 out of the 5 cars repeatedly during that time to police and said she disliked it when cars parked in front of her house, according to WTAE’s reporting.
In an interview with WTAE’s Beau Berman, Gusky’s defence attorney Phil Dilucente said that the situation is typical of a neighborhood feud.
“This is nothing more than a neighborhood dispute,” Dilucente said. “Anyone in their city, county, anyone in the state of Pennsylvania, they’ve had disputes with their neighbors.”
When asked about these charges, Duquesne’s Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications, Tammy Erwin, emailed the following statement to The Duke:
“The University was unaware of this situation. The allegations, if true, would not reflect the University’s mission.”
Guskey’s bio on the Palumbo Donahue School of Business describes her as “one of the nation’s top consumer experts … [appearing] in over 3,000 TV, radio, newspaper, and magazine interviews.” Her bio also says that she made regular appearances on Fox News’ “Morning Show with Mike and Juliet” in 2007 and 2008.
The Duke reached out to the Bridgeville Police Department for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
