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(Trends Wide) — Authorities in southwestern Oregon are warning that a man, suspected of kidnapping a woman and beating her unconscious, may now be using dating apps to evade capture or find possible new victims, according to police.
The suspect, 36-year-old Benjamin Obadiah Foster, has so far evaded capture but appears to be active on online dating services, the Grants Pass Police Department said in a statement Friday.
“Investigation reveals that the suspect actively uses online dating apps to contact unsuspecting individuals who may be enticed to assist in the suspect’s escape or potentially as additional victims,” Grants Pass police said.
The search for Foster began Tuesday after officers found a woman who had been tied up and severely beaten unconscious, Grants Pass police said. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition and is being guarded while the suspect remains at large, police said.
The man fled the scene before officers arrived, but investigators identified Foster as the suspect and asked members of the public to call 911 immediately if they saw him, warning that he “should be considered extremely dangerous.”
Police said Foster “likely received assistance in fleeing the area.” A 68-year-old woman was arrested “for obstructing justice” while authorities were searching 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. Police say he is wanted on suspicion of kidnapping, attempted murder and assault.
Prosecutors charged Foster with attempting to kill the victim “in the course of intentionally torturing” the woman, according to charging documents filed in court and obtained by Trends Wide affiliate KDRV.
“This is a very serious offense – a brutal attack on one of our residents that we take extremely seriously and will not rest until we capture this individual,” Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman said Thursday at a news conference. .
The suspect faced other charges in previous years
This is not the first time Foster has been charged by authorities with violence against women.
Court records in Clark County, Nevada show that Foster was charged in two different cases years earlier, accusing him of assaulting women.
In the first case, Foster was charged with felony battery constituting domestic violence, court documents show. Foster’s ex-girlfriend testified in a preliminary hearing that she had attempted to strangle her in 2017 after another man sent her a text.
While that case was still pending in court, Foster was charged with felony assault, battery and kidnapping for allegedly attacking another woman, his girlfriend at the time, in 2019, charging documents show.
The victim told police that “Foster strangled (her) to the point of unconsciousness multiple times” and kept her tied up for the better part of the next two weeks. She said she was only able to get her released after convincing Foster they needed to go grocery shopping and she ran away from her while she was in a store, according to court records.
The woman was left with seven broken ribs, two black eyes and abrasions on her wrists and ankles from being tied up, according to a Las Vegas police report.
Foster eventually agreed to plea deals in the cases, the documents said. He was sentenced to a maximum of 30 months in prison but was credited with 729 days served in the first case.
“Am I worried about what I already know? The answer is yes,” Hensman said when asked about the previous charges in Nevada.
“We are focused on capturing this man and bringing him to justice,” Hensman said.
Trends Wide’s Colin Jeffery contributed to this report.
