CNN
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Authorities in southwestern Oregon have warned that a man who allegedly kidnapped a woman and knocked her unconscious may now be using dating apps to evade arrest or find potential new victims, according to police.
The suspect, Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, has not been apprehended but appears to be active on an online dating service, the Grants Pass Police Department said in a statement Friday.
“The investigation revealed that the suspect was actively using an online dating application to contact unsuspecting individuals who could be lured into assisting the suspect in his escape or possibly becoming other victims,” Grants Pass police said.
Grants Pass police said the search for Foster began on Tuesday after officers found a woman bound and severely beaten unconscious. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition and placed under guard while the suspect remains at large, police said.
The man fled the scene before police arrived, but investigators identified Foster as a suspect and asked the public to call 911 if they saw him, warning that he “should be considered extremely dangerous.”
Police said Foster “may have been assisted in fleeing the area”. A 68-year-old woman was arrested for “obstructing prosecution” as authorities searched for the suspect, according to the department.
As the search continues, a $2,500 reward has been offered for information leading to Foster’s capture. He is wanted for kidnapping, attempted murder and assault, police said.
Prosecutors accused Foster of attempting to kill the victim “in the process of intentionally torturing” the woman, according to charging documents filed in court and obtained by CNN affiliate KDRV.
Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Huntsman said at a news conference Thursday: “This is a very serious crime — a savage attack on one of our residents, and we take it very seriously. We won’t give up until now.”
It’s not the first time Foster charged by the authorities or violence against women.
Court records in Clark County, Nevada show that Foster was charged in two separate cases years ago, accusing him of assaulting women.
In the first case, Foster was charged with felony battery, which constitutes domestic violence, court documents show. Foster’s ex-girlfriend testified at a preliminary hearing that he tried to strangle her in a fit of rage in 2017 after another man texted her.
While the case is still pending in court, Foster was charged with felony, battery and kidnapping for allegedly assaulting another woman — his then-girlfriend — in 2019, charging documents show.
The victim told police that “Foster strangled[her]unconscious multiple times” and tied her up for much of the next two weeks. According to court records, she said she was freed only after convincing Foster they needed to go shopping and fled at the store.
The woman suffered seven fractured ribs, blackened eyes and bruised wrists and ankles from being bound, according to a Las Vegas police report.
Foster eventually agreed to a plea deal in those cases, the documents show. He was sentenced to a maximum of 30 months in prison, but served 729 days in the first case.
“Am I bothered by what I already know? The answer is yes,” Huntsman said when asked about the previous allegations in Nevada.
“We are focused on capturing this individual and bringing him to justice,” Huntsman said.