A 40-year-old Hamilton, Ohio man is facing a long list of charges after allegedly holding a knife to a motel worker's throat during a botched robbery at the Rodeway Inn in South Strabane Township, then fleeing in a getaway SUV that police chased down and stopped in the middle of Berry Road. The motel manager, who was the one held at knifepoint, returned to work Thursday after a trip to the hospital for a medical evaluation, according to WPXI.
According to court documents cited by the Herald-Standard, Daryle W. Forman Jr. allegedly hid behind an ice machine at the motel before lunging at the manager, forcing him to the ground and threatening to kill him if he didn't hand over cash. South Strabane Township police responded to the Rodeway Inn at 282 North Ave. at about 3:15 p.m. after a woman in the motel lobby called 911. Police say the knife was held directly to the worker's throat during the struggle, per court documents, and it was unclear whether any money was taken before the assailant fled.
The manager told WPXI Channel 11 that the attempted robbery marked the “fourth or fifth time” a violent or similar incident had occurred at the property, and he called it one of the two most frightening incidents at the motel. He said he's lucky to be alive.
Chase Ends With Vehicle Stop on Berry Road
Police say Forman and 26-year-old Denver Louis Findley of Canonsburg drove away from the motel in a blue SUV bearing an Ohio license plate, with Findley behind the wheel. Officers spotted the vehicle in the Giant Eagle parking lot at Strabane Square and pursued it before stopping it on Berry Road.
During the stop, Forman reportedly shouted to officers that the knife used in the robbery attempt was still inside the vehicle — a detail the station's report says was captured on video by a bystander who recorded police briefly halting traffic in the middle of the road to make the arrests. Police say they recovered the knife inside the vehicle, along with syringes and stamp bags, per court documents.
Charges and Bond for Forman
Forman was charged with felony counts of attempted robbery and aggravated assault, along with misdemeanor counts of unlawful restraint, terroristic threats, making repairs to an offensive weapon, reckless endangerment, and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the same report. District Judge Phillippe Melograne arraigned Forman Wednesday night, and he was sent to Washington County Jail held on $500,000 cash bond. His preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for October 20 at 10 a.m.
Under Pennsylvania law, robbery involving threats or the intentional creation of fear of immediate serious bodily injury is graded as a first-degree felony, carrying a statutory maximum of up to 20 years in state prison and a $25,000 fine, according to SKA Law Group. Aggravated assault involving bodily injury with a deadly weapon is classified as a second-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years, while attempting serious bodily injury can be charged as a first-degree felony carrying up to 20 years, per PennsylvaniaDUI.attorney.
Driver's Robbery Charges Remain Unclear
Findley was taken to Washington County Jail on an earlier arrest warrant. Pennsylvania State Police filed drug charges against him, and he also faces an additional charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, as reported by Observer-Reporter. Whether Findley faces any charges connected directly to the robbery attempt was not immediately known, per the article.
A Motel With a Troubled Past
This isn't the first time law enforcement has been called to the Rodeway Inn. In 2022, police responded to the same property after a guest found a deceased woman inside a motel bathtub, and the Washington County Coroner was notified.
A Rodeway Inn in Washington is near Washington and Jefferson College and Washington Hospital, according to Expedia. The area has also been in the middle of a broader commercial transformation — Hoodline previously reported that South Strabane is clearing the former Washington Mall site to make way for a 150,000-square-foot Costco.
The South Strabane Township Police Department, which responded to the robbery call, is a 21-officer force covering a 23-square-mile jurisdiction under Chief Drew Hilk. The department expanded its capabilities with a drone unit established in early 2025, according to the South Strabane Township police department.
