Attempted homicide, kidnap charges filed against Uniontown man
Police said a Uniontown man shoved a gun in a woman’s mouth and drove her around the city looking for her ex-boyfriend Tuesday morning.
Christopher Allen Phillip West, 31, is facing attempted homicide and other charges in the case.
The woman placed a frantic 911 call about 9:40 a.m., saying she was being assaulted and held hostage in a truck on Dunlap Street. She said the man was coming back and hung up. Dispatchers pinged the location of the phone, which showed the caller in the area of Barton Mill Road, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in West’s case.
Officers searched the city and later found the vehicle parked at West’s address at 5 Crowe Ave. at 10:20 a.m., where the woman put her head out the window and called for help. Police forced West onto the ground at gunpoint and arrested him, according to the affidavit.
The woman told police West removed his and her clothes and attempted to assault her just before officers arrived.
She was taken to Uniontown Hospital and treated for facial bruising, swelling and bleeding and a bite to her left ankle, according to court documents. She held the side of her face as she was taken to the ambulance.
The woman told police the fight began over a Facebook message she sent to her ex-boyfriend. She said West began slapping her and forced her into his white Ford Expedition to search for the ex-boyfriend. She said he took her to several homes in the city and continued assaulting her, at one point putting the gun in her mouth and saying, “I will kill you,” and later shoved the gun into her face saying, “You’re going to take a bullet today.”
The woman showed police the gun West allegedly held to her head, a .32-caliber pistol placed in the couch at the Crowe Avenue residence. Police said the hammer was pulled back and two rounds were in the chamber. Police are conducting a national trace on the weapon, the affidavit said.
Police said West was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2004 and not permitted to possess a firearm.
Under police questioning, West said he “slapped” the woman “around,” grabbed the firearm from her and carried it around the house and in the vehicle, according to court documents.
He is charged with two counts of criminal attempt to commit homicide, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnap, prohibited possession of a firearm, unlawful restraint, simple assault and indecent exposure.
Uniontown police Cpl. D.J. DeWitt escorted West to the station in a Bob Marley “Stand Up for Your Rights” T-shirt, reminding West to remain peaceful.
West was arraigned Tuesday afternoon by Magisterial District Judge Michael Metros and lodged in Fayette County Prison in lieu of a $150,000 bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Jan. 3 before Metros.