An Oregon fugitive wanted for kidnapping, imprisoning and torturing a local woman–after a history of domestic abuse and weapons violations–reportedly uses dating apps as he evades authorities in southwest Oregon, NBC News reports.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, is accused of imprisoning and torturing a woman in Grants Pass, Oregon, keeping her “in a place where she was not likely to be found” and “intentionally torturing” her, authorities say. On Tuesday, police found a woman, bound and badly injured; they have not released details of how she was found nor have they identified her.
Foster’s been on the run since Thursday when police raided his property, and police say he’s using dating apps to arrange for assistance from unsuspecting women he’s in contact with. Police tracked Foster to a property in Wolf Creek, 20 miles north of Grants Pass, where they arrested 68-year-old Tina Marie Jones for hindering arrest. Police say Jones helped Foster dispose of his car by pushing into a ravine, and then returned him to a property on which he had been hiding.
Grants Pass police say Foster “is actively using online dating applications to contact unsuspecting individuals who may be lured into assisting with the suspect’s escape or potentially as additional victims.” It’s unclear if Jones was an existing long-term or new contact for the criminal.
Foster has a long, disturbing history of violence, particularly against women. Before moving to Oregon, Foster was out of custody on a suspended jail sentence in Nevada for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit when he was arrested for imprisoning his then-girlfriend, who escaped while the pair were at a grocery store/gas station and she ran to a nearly apartment complex and got help. Las Vegas Police report she had suffered seven broken ribs, two black eyes and injuries from being bound at the wrists and ankles with zip ties and duct tape during her two-week captivity.