Police release photo of suspect wanted in home invasion
State police in Uniontown released a photo Wednesday of Richard Darrell Decost, 33, who is wanted for allegedly forcing his way into a Springhill Township home Monday and cutting a woman with a knife during a confrontation before escaping with her purse. Decost, from the Kingwood, W.Va., area, is described as 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighing 150 to 165 pounds, with shaggy brown hair that is short in front and shoulder-length in the rear.
At the time of the incident, police said, he was wearing a dark baseball cap, gray sweatshirt and dark pants.
Police said they believe he is armed with a handgun and may be driving a gray 1992 Chevrolet Lumina bearing West Virginia registration 3J1614, with paint chipping on the front of the vehicle.
District Justice Randy Abraham issued a warrant for Decost’s arrest Tuesday.
Police said victim Fonda Conaway fought with Decost after he forcibly entered her home on Route 857. She suffered a cut on her arm, facial bruises and a cut lip.
After the struggle, Decost grabbed Conaway’s purse from a kitchen table and fled south on Route 857 in an older gray or light-blue minivan, police said.
Conaway said the suspect pulled into her driveway at 7 a.m. and was looking at a car her husband was trying to sell. Her husband was out of town that day, and she was home with her two teen-agers.
He then returned and knocked on the door at 8:44 p.m. and inquired about the car for sale, but forced his way inside the house. During the struggle, her teen-agers called 911.