Aug 27, 2010 By Josh Krysak 3 min read

A Uniontown man released from prison earlier this month is behind bars again after he allegedly kidnapped a Fayette County man at gunpoint Tuesday night. State police Trooper Scott A. Krofcheck said Victor Maurice Tarpley, 31, of 125 Rear Collins Ave. was charged with kidnapping, robbery, theft, unlawful restraint, simple assault, terroristic threats, illegal possession of a firearm, fleeing and eluding police and criminal mischief.

Krofcheck said the charges were filed after Tarpley kidnapped a man from a location in Menallen Township sometime after 9 p.m.

Police did not identity the alleged victim. It is not clear why they didn’t.

Krofcheck said the alleged victim told investigators that he was in a car with a woman and her brother near Searights when she stopped the vehicle to drop him off and Tarpley opened a door of the vehicle and pointed a gun at him.

Krofcheck said that Tarpley then blindfolded the victim before driving for about 35 minutes.

The victim told police that Tarpley then forced him into an unknown residence and began to question him about money, Krofcheck said.

Krofcheck said that at that point Tarpley stole $100 from the man and then forced him to make multiple telephone calls to his mother, brother and girlfriend to try and get additional money. He also told police that Tarpley shot him with a Taser gun during the incident. Krofcheck said the man also was bound at the wrists and ankles during the incident.

Krofcheck said that Tarpley forced the man to instruct the people he called to leave cash at three different locations, including a bar in South Union Township, a bar in Uniontown and a store in Menallen Township.

Krofcheck said after the man’s mother alerted police to the incident, officers responding to the store in Menallen Township started to pursue a suspicious vehicle near Searights.

During the pursuit, police said a man, later identified as the alleged victim, jumped from the vehicle and rolled over an embankment.

Krofcheck said Tarpley eventually fled from the car on foot and was captured by police.

The alleged victim told police that he jumped from the car when he felt he was able to wrest the weapon used by Tarpley from him as he tumbled from the car.

He led police to the location where he jumped from the car, Krofcheck said.

This is not Tarpley’s first run-in with the law.

According to court records, he has spent more than half of the last decade in prison for numerous offenses ranging from possession with intent to deliver drugs to attempted homicide.

In 1996, Tarpley pleaded guilty to attempted homicide, two counts of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.

He was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in state prison.

In 1998, Tarpley pleaded guilty to two separate cases involving possession with intent to deliver drugs.

He was sentenced to 2 1/2 to 5 years in prison following his guilty pleas.

He is also scheduled to go to trial next month on charges of stalking after he and another man allegedly followed and fired gunshots at a Uniontown man in early 2009.

Tarpley was placed in the Fayette County Prison on $50,000 straight cash bond following his arraignment Wednesday afternoon.

He had posted $15,000 bond Aug. 2 after being jailed on a bench warrant in July.