Oregon police have warned the general public that an attempted murder suspect accused of holding a lady hostage is using dating apps to potentially lure recent victims.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, the topic of a multi-agency manhunt, is also using the apps to recruit others who will help him evade capture, the Grants Pass police department said Friday.
The seek for Foster, who was convicted in Nevada of keeping one other woman in captivity, comes after he allegedly sure and severely beat a lady into unconsciousness near Grants Pass, Oregon on Tuesday, police said.
On Thursday, Grants Pass police, sheriff’s deputies, an Oregon State Police SWAT team and federal agents raided a property within the unincorporated community of Wolf Creek — about 20 miles from Grants Pass — where they believed Foster was hiding. Foster’s automotive and other evidence were seized, cops said.
After a “lengthy manhunt,” police say Foster, 36, evaded arrest with the assistance of 68-year-old Tina Marie Jones of Wolf Creek, who was arrested and charged with hindering prosecution. It’s not clear exactly how he escaped, nevertheless the realm is heavily wooded.
Jones had followed Foster in a vehicle earlier Thursday as he drove to a distant location in Wolf Creek then intentionally drove his 2008 Nissan Sentra over an embankment, in keeping with court documents.
Investigators discovered that the convicted felon was using online dating apps to lure unsuspecting people to assist him escape or possibly as additional victims.
“The Grants Pass Police Department wants the community to be extra secure while this predator continues to be at large and in addition advises that anyone assisting Ben Foster together with his escape will face potential prosecution,” the department said in an announcement.
Police in Grants Pass, a town of some 40,000 in southwest Oregon, said Foster is believed to be armed and “extremely dangerous.” Officials said they’re using all technology available to locate him.
Foster is needed by the police for kidnapping, attempted murder, and assault. Police have offered a $2,500 reward for information resulting in his arrest and prosecution.
In 2019 before moving to Oregon, Foster was convicted in Nevada of holding his girlfriend captive in her own apartment for greater than two weeks where he threatened to kill her and compelled her to eat a sandwich with lye because he was convinced she was having him followed.
Foster — whom law enforcement officials said is a trained martial artist — allegedly used zip ties and duct tape to bind the girl on the wrists and ankles, shaved her head and beat and choked her until she was unconscious. He threatened to kill her with a knife and handgun, officials said.
At one point, Foster forced the girl to eat a sandwich with lye — a robust chemical typically used for cleansing — that burned her hands and throat, the Las Vegas Sun reports.
Foster also allegedly prevented the girl from using the toilet and only untied her at night. Still, he held onto her as they slept, she told police. The girl managed to flee after convincing Foster that the couple needed food and water. He took her with him to a gas station, where she fled and located help.
He was initially hit with five felonies, including assault and battery, and faced a long time in prison. Nonetheless in August 2021, Foster made a plea cope with Clark County prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to at least one felony count of battery and a misdemeanor count of battery constituting domestic violence.
He served two and a half years in Nevada prison, however the 729 days spent in pre-trial detention were put towards his sentence and he ultimately only served lower than 200 days.
On the time of his arrest in 2019, Foster was free on a suspended jail sentence in reference to a 2018 weapons conviction and was awaiting trial in one other domestic violence case.
Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman told AP he didn’t have time to criticize how Nevada handled Foster’s prosecution.
“Whatever happened previously,” he said, “we are able to discuss those situations later.”
With Post wires
Oregon police have warned the general public that an attempted murder suspect accused of holding a lady hostage is using dating apps to potentially lure recent victims.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, the topic of a multi-agency manhunt, is also using the apps to recruit others who will help him evade capture, the Grants Pass police department said Friday.
The seek for Foster, who was convicted in Nevada of keeping one other woman in captivity, comes after he allegedly sure and severely beat a lady into unconsciousness near Grants Pass, Oregon on Tuesday, police said.
On Thursday, Grants Pass police, sheriff’s deputies, an Oregon State Police SWAT team and federal agents raided a property within the unincorporated community of Wolf Creek — about 20 miles from Grants Pass — where they believed Foster was hiding. Foster’s automotive and other evidence were seized, cops said.
After a “lengthy manhunt,” police say Foster, 36, evaded arrest with the assistance of 68-year-old Tina Marie Jones of Wolf Creek, who was arrested and charged with hindering prosecution. It’s not clear exactly how he escaped, nevertheless the realm is heavily wooded.
Jones had followed Foster in a vehicle earlier Thursday as he drove to a distant location in Wolf Creek then intentionally drove his 2008 Nissan Sentra over an embankment, in keeping with court documents.
Investigators discovered that the convicted felon was using online dating apps to lure unsuspecting people to assist him escape or possibly as additional victims.
“The Grants Pass Police Department wants the community to be extra secure while this predator continues to be at large and in addition advises that anyone assisting Ben Foster together with his escape will face potential prosecution,” the department said in an announcement.
Police in Grants Pass, a town of some 40,000 in southwest Oregon, said Foster is believed to be armed and “extremely dangerous.” Officials said they’re using all technology available to locate him.
Foster is needed by the police for kidnapping, attempted murder, and assault. Police have offered a $2,500 reward for information resulting in his arrest and prosecution.
In 2019 before moving to Oregon, Foster was convicted in Nevada of holding his girlfriend captive in her own apartment for greater than two weeks where he threatened to kill her and compelled her to eat a sandwich with lye because he was convinced she was having him followed.
Foster — whom law enforcement officials said is a trained martial artist — allegedly used zip ties and duct tape to bind the girl on the wrists and ankles, shaved her head and beat and choked her until she was unconscious. He threatened to kill her with a knife and handgun, officials said.
At one point, Foster forced the girl to eat a sandwich with lye — a robust chemical typically used for cleansing — that burned her hands and throat, the Las Vegas Sun reports.
Foster also allegedly prevented the girl from using the toilet and only untied her at night. Still, he held onto her as they slept, she told police. The girl managed to flee after convincing Foster that the couple needed food and water. He took her with him to a gas station, where she fled and located help.
He was initially hit with five felonies, including assault and battery, and faced a long time in prison. Nonetheless in August 2021, Foster made a plea cope with Clark County prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to at least one felony count of battery and a misdemeanor count of battery constituting domestic violence.
He served two and a half years in Nevada prison, however the 729 days spent in pre-trial detention were put towards his sentence and he ultimately only served lower than 200 days.
On the time of his arrest in 2019, Foster was free on a suspended jail sentence in reference to a 2018 weapons conviction and was awaiting trial in one other domestic violence case.
Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman told AP he didn’t have time to criticize how Nevada handled Foster’s prosecution.
“Whatever happened previously,” he said, “we are able to discuss those situations later.”
With Post wires
