Police: Roaring Spring Man Takes Two Hostages | News, Sports, Jobs

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

Robert James Foor III, 35, was charged Tuesday by District Judge Benjamin F. Jones with single felony counts of aggravated assault and choking, three misdemeanor counts of aggravated assault, two misdemeanor counts of false imprisonment and terroristic threats, one misdemeanor count of false imprisonment and one count of harassment.

After failing to post $100,000 bail, he was booked into the Blair County Jail.

On Monday, officers were dispatched to the Rodeway Inn at 1500 Sterling Street in Logan Township on a report of a domestic incident and possible hostage taking.

Upon arrival, officers spoke with a caller who said they 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 upset, so he approached them to help deescalate the situation, according to the probable cause affidavit.

During the call, Foor invited the caller to enter a motel room with him and the victim, saying he didn’t want to continue talking in the parking lot. Once they were all in the room, Foor grabbed the victim by the throat, threw him on the bed and punched him several times in the face. Foor then slammed the door and locked it. The caller said Foor told them no one was leaving and that everyone was going to die, according to court documents.

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

When officers attempted to make contact with Foor’s room, the victim went outside, leaving the door open.

As she walked toward officers, Foor stuck his head out the door and was instructed to show his hands and get out. Foor was detained and was not found to have any weapons, according to the affidavit.

Officers spoke with the victim at the scene, who was still crying and had a reddened neck. She initially told officers that nothing was wrong and that she didn’t want Foor to get in trouble, but after further questioning, she said they had been arguing about infidelity. The victim recounted the events as described by the caller, adding that when Foor grabbed her by the throat and punched her in the face, she couldn’t breathe and had broken teeth.

Officers asked the victim if Foor threatened her during the incident, to which she responded that he threatened to shoot her and the caller multiple times. AMED then arrived on scene to evaluate the victim, applied a neck brace and transported him to UPMC for further treatment, court documents say.

During the interview, Foor confirmed that he and the victim had been arguing about infidelity and said she was “losing control.” Foor said he grabbed the victim by the arms, pushed her onto the bed and held her there for several seconds. When asked if there was a weapon in the room, Foor hesitated before saying no. Officers also spoke with Rodeway Inn staff, who provided documentation showing the room was registered to Foor.

Police documents show a search warrant was issued for the room, but no weapons were found inside.

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