Bolivar man charged in attempted Ligonier Township kidnapping

A nearly weeklong search ended Friday when a Bolivar man was arrested in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a female jogger at gunpoint in Ligonier Township.

Frank Springer, 56, was taken into custody by Westmoreland County detectives and Ligonier Valley police and charged with attempted homicide, attempted kidnapping, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats, unlawful restraint and criminal coercion.

The woman told police she was jogging on Route 381 about 10 a.m. Sunday when a man drove past her in his 1995 Buick LeSabre, turned the car around, got out and walked toward her with a revolver.

The woman said the man tried to coerce her to get into his car by firing a shot near her, telling her to “come here,” according to a criminal complaint. He then grabbed her, threw her phone into a creek, and tried to force her into his car while she “begged him to let her go,” the complaint states.

The woman told police she fought back and pushed away the gun as the man fired several more rounds. She said he then asked her, “Do you want me to blow your head off?”

During the struggle, a car passed the pair and the woman attempted to flag down the driver. In response, the man threw her to the ground, punched her, pushed her face into the mud and put his knee on her back. He tried to force her into his car while the woman resisted by using her feet to push against the car’s door frame, the complaint states.

The attempted kidnapping was interrupted by the passerby, who turned around, drove back to the area and pulled over. The woman broke free and ran toward the passerby while the attacker — described as about 5 feet, 7 inches tall with a “scruffy” white beard — fled north on Route 381 toward Route 30.

Police used surveillance footage to identify the suspect’s car and license plate. Officers tracked the car to Springer, who was arraigned Friday evening. Aside from a DUI charge in 1998, he has no prior criminal record in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Three days after the Ligonier Township incident was reported, Pittsburgh police said there was a possible abduction attempt in Pittsburgh’s Bedford Dwellings.