Man accused of holding woman captive ordered to stand trial
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A homeless man accused of forcing his way into a Tarentum woman’s apartment, beating her and holding her captive for nearly two hours before fleeing naked, has been ordered to stand trial.
David Matthew Weston, 36, was charged with felony counts of burglary and criminal trespass along with counts of stalking, unlawful restraint, simple assault, indecent exposure, disorderly conduct and harassment.
The incident allegedly happened July 26, but Weston was not taken into custody until Nov. 6, court records show.
Weston was being detained in the Allegheny County Jail in lieu of a $25,000 cash bond. He was ordered to stand trial in Allegheny County Court following a preliminary hearing Wednesday before District Judge Carolyn Bengel.
Investigators said Weston knocked on the door of the woman’s apartment in the 800 block of Creek Street shortly before 11 p.m. and pushed past her to get inside when she answered, according to a criminal complaint.
Investigators noted that on March 1, the Allegheny County Housing Authority, which owns the apartment, banned Weston from entering any of its properties because he has a history of going to the woman’s apartment and threatening her, the complaint said.
Since the ban, Tarentum police have responded to the apartment five times, including two instances that resulted in charges being filed against Weston, the complaint said.
The woman told police Weston began destroying her property once he got inside her apartment. When she tried to calm him down, she said, he repeatedly kicked her in the head and face, the complaint said. She was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison for treatment, police said.
She told police she tried to leave several times during the two hours Weston was inside her apartment, but he wouldn’t let her go and beat her, according to the complaint.
The woman told police she tried to get a neighbor’s attention by setting off an alarm that was inside the apartment but it didn’t work.
She said she was able to escape to a neighbor’s apartment when Weston stripped off all his clothes, the complaint said.
Police said a neighbor gave them video from a security camera that showed Weston entering the woman’s apartment at 10:41 p.m. At 1:07 a.m., the woman is seen running from the apartment screaming for help.
A minute later, the video shows Weston running from the apartment toward Mill Street without any clothes on, police say.