Latrobe police looking for man who allegedly assaulted woman in elevator, stole her car
Latrobe police are looking for a Carmichaels man they say assaulted a woman in an apartment elevator then stole her car.
A woman told officers she was followed onto an elevator along Jefferson Street by a man she didn’t know who wrapped his arms around her neck then began going through her purse.
The man, later identified as Heath Allen Rankin, 41, took a set of car keys and $4. He allegedly told the woman not to look at him and said “I’ll blow your head off.”
Once the elevator went back to the first floor, Rankin allegedly put a set of car keys back into the woman’s purse and returned the cash. He told the woman he was a detective, to be more aware of her surroundings and not to call police.
When the woman got to her apartment, she called 911. She realized the keys the man put into her purse were not hers and went to a Jeep.
The victim’s vehicle, a White Honda Accord with PA registration LBK8331, was stolen from the parking lot of 1111 Jefferson Street.
Police viewed surveillance video.
The Jeep keys belong to a vehicle that Rankin allegedly took from a friend in the Uniontown area, who was able to identify him.
A warrant has been issued. Rankin faces charges of robbery, theft, receiving stolen property, terroristic threats and simple assault.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 724-537-5526 or 911.
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