Police: Roaring Spring man arrested two hostages | News, Sports, Jobs

A Roaring Spring man is behind bars after allegedly taking two people hostage in a Rodeway Inn motel room during a domestic violence incident on Labor Day.

Robert James Foor III, 35, was arraigned Tuesday by District Judge Benjamin F. Jones on charges of aggravated assault and strangulation, three misdemeanor counts of simple assault, two misdemeanor counts each of false imprisonment and terroristic threatening, one misdemeanor count of false imprisonment and harassment.

Unable to pay the $100,000 bail, he was taken to the Blair County Jail.

On Monday, officers were dispatched to the Rodeway Inn at 1500 Sterling Street, Logan Township, for a report of a domestic disturbance and possible hostage situation.

At the scene, officers spoke with the caller who said he saw a man, later identified as Foor, and a woman, later identified as the victim, arguing in the parking lot. The caller said the victim was crying and distraught, so he approached her to help deescalate the situation, the probable cause affidavit states.

During their conversation, Foor told the caller to come to the motel room with him and the victim, saying he did not want to continue the conversation in the parking lot. Once they were all in the room, Foor grabbed the victim by the neck, slammed him onto the bed and punched him in the face several times. Foor then slammed the door and locked it. The caller said Foor told them no one was leaving and they were all going to die, court documents say.

The caller said Foor told them there were several guns under the mattress in the room and that he was very afraid of what Foor might do. He tried to calm Foor down and said he was allowed to leave the room to get Valium. He then called 911, police records show.

While officers attempted to make contact with Foor’s room, the victim stepped outside and the door was still open.

As she approached officers, Foor stuck his head out the door and was ordered to show his hands and walk out. Foor was taken into custody and was not found in possession of a weapon, according to the affidavit.

Officers spoke to the victim at the scene, who was still crying and had redness on her neck. She initially told officers nothing had happened and she didn’t want Foor to get in trouble, but after further questioning she said they had argued about infidelity. The victim described the events the caller described, adding that she was unable to breathe and was breaking teeth when Foor grabbed her by the neck and punched her in the face.

Officers asked the victim if Foor made any threats during the incident, to which she responded that he made multiple threats to shoot her and the caller. AMED then arrived at the scene to evaluate the victim, placed a neck brace on her and transported her to UPMC for further treatment, court documents state.

During an interview, Foor confirmed that he and the victim had argued about infidelity and said she was “out of control.” Foor said he grabbed the victim by the shoulders, pushed her onto the bed and held her there for several seconds. When asked if there were any weapons in the room, Foor hesitated before saying no. Officers also spoke with staff at the Rodeway Inn, who provided documentation showing the room was registered to Foor.

According to police records, there was a search warrant for the room, but no weapons were found.

Foor is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew Dunio on September 12.