Police: Man Bursts Into Home, Terrorizes Woman, Takes Her To ATM To Rob Her
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BLAIRSVILLE (KDKA) -- A man is in jail, accused of forcing his way into a woman's home in Indiana County, terrorizing her and threatening her and her family if she didn't follow his orders.
Toyreakia Spence, of Blairsville, calls her alleged ordeal unbelievable and that she's still in shock over it all.
"It was dangerous and scary," she said.
According to Spence, 31-year-old Robert Thomas, of Latrobe, busted through her front door, holding a gun.
"He put the gun up, and I was on the stairs, and he said, 'Stop, don't move,'" said Spence.
Spence says once inside, Thomas pistol-whipped one of her friends, demanding money and threatening to kill the woman's children.
"I just wanted to give him my money, so he could get out my house," said Spence. "I was scared."
The problem, Spence had no cash. That's when she say Thomas put her in his car and drove to a Sheetz about nine miles away.
Spence says Thomas forced her to withdraw about $200. Then, it was back in the car. But with their mother allegedly taken by force, Spence's children acted quickly.
"The children had cell phones, and at that point in time, they called 911," said Blairsville Police Chief Michael Allman.
Word got out of a possible robbery with a hostage on the run. That's when a Blairsville officer saw a car do something that caught his eye.
"At that time, we didn't have a description of the car. He spotted a car, which made a quick turn in front of him, which heightened his awareness and he stopped that vehicle," said Chief Allman.
Inside the vehicle, Spence says Thomas told her what to say when the cop got to the door.
"That's when he got scared," said Spence. "He started telling me to say I got a ride from him."
However, she didn't need to say a word, the officer was doing all the talking. Thomas was put in cuffs and a fake pistol was recovered in the vehicle.
Spence says she has no idea why Thomas allegedly targeted her.
"I've never seen him a day in my life. I been in Blairsville six years and never once seen him. Never," she said.
Thomas is in the Indiana County Jail awaiting his preliminary hearing on multiple charges, including robbery.
