A State College man charged Friday with the November attempted rape of a 20-year-old borough woman pleaded guilty to similar charges eight years ago, court records show.

James E. VanDerlin Jr., 30, of 260 Toftrees Ave., was arraigned Friday before District Justice Clifford H. Yorks, and charged with attempted rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, indecent exposure, unlawful restraint and false imprisonment.

The charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred about 5 p.m. last Nov. 27 in a field behind the State College Area Intermediate High School, 650 Westerly Parkway. Police charge VanDerlin grabbed a State College woman from behind as she was walking through the field and allegedly assaulted her.

County court documents indicate VanDerlin pleaded guilty in 1981 to one count of indecent assault. He received a sentence of one to two years in the Centre County prison and was released on parole the same year, a spokeswoman for the court administrator's office said.

After violating that parole last year, VanDerlin was returned to the Centre County prison, where he was arrested Friday, authorities said.

VanDerlin was also charged with robbery in Blair County and was sentenced to five years probation in 1981. He violated probation in 1982 and was remanded to a state correctional institution, a spokeswoman from the Blair County prothonotary's office said.

VanDerlin owns the Convenient Cleaning Service, 508 S. Fraser St., police said.

About two hours after the November rape, the State College Bureau of Police Services received a call from a man asking if an attempted rape was reported that day. The caller was quoted as saying of the assault, "Well, it was me, and I think I'm going to kill myself."

The call was traced to a pay telephone in the lobby of Parkway Plaza Apartments' C building, 1000 Plaza Drive, but the caller was gone when police arrived.

All calls received by police at the emergency 911 telephone number are automatically taped, police said. No news release of the attempted rape had been issued prior to the call.

On Jan. 9, State College Police Officer Thomas Jordan requested local television and radio stations to play a tape of the suspect's call, and four people identified the voice as VanDerlin's within two days. Jordan also interviewed two of VanDerlin's close acquaintances, and they also identified VanDerlin's voice on the tape.

VanDerlin was described by police as having a "very distinct" voice. The victim of the attempted rape also identified the voice as that of her assailant.

Police said the arrest came as a direct result of the television and radio stations airing the taped telephone call, and thanked the local broadcast media at a press conference Friday. They would not say, however, who tipped the police about VanDerlin's identity.

Authorities are now interested in talking with an unidentified man who called them on Jan. 9, after the tape was aired, and said his girlfriend believed she was attacked by the same man.

VanDerlin remains in the Centre County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail. His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 25 in Centre County Court.