Ore. man on the run after allegedly 'intentionally torturing' woman found unconscious
01/27/2023 12:08 pm PST
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (TCD) -- Law enforcement officials across Oregon are looking for a 36-year-old man who allegedly held a woman captive and tortured her about two years after he was sentenced to prison for kidnapping and battering his girlfriend at the time.
According to Grants Pass Police, on Tuesday, Jan. 24, officers went to a home on the 2100 block of Shane Way regarding an assault and found a female victim who "had been bound and severely beaten into unconsciousness." Paramedics transported her to a local hospital in critical condition.
Police identified the suspect as Benjamin Obadiah Foster but said he fled the scene before officers arrived. He was reportedly last known to be driving a 2008 Nissan Sentra, and police warned he was armed and "considered extremely dangerous."
Josephine County Court records show the District Attorney’s Office charged Foster with seven crimes, including attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping, and assault.
The Associated Press, which cites court documents written by District Attorney Joshua Eastman, reports Foster is accused of "intentionally torturing" the victim and leaving her "in a place where she was not likely to be found."
Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman reportedly said in a news briefing, "We are laser-focused on capturing this man and bringing him to justice. This is an all-hands-on-deck operation."
According to Clark County Court records in Nevada, Foster was charged in October 2019 on several domestic abuse-related charges, including kidnapping, battery with substantial bodily harm, battery constituting domestic violence, and assault with a deadly weapon. He initially pleaded not guilty, then changed the plea to guilty for battery with substantial bodily harm and battery constituting domestic violence.
The Associated Press reports Foster's girlfriend at the time suffered broken ribs and black eyes, and had been held against her will with zip-ties and duct tape. She reportedly managed to escape his captivity while he went to the grocery store.
He was sentenced to a maximum of 2 1/2 years in prison but received credit for 729 days served as he awaited his trial. The Associated Press reports Foster served less than 200 days in prison.
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