Benjamin Obadiah Foster: Oregon torture suspect using dating apps to 'lure' victims and evade police
SALEM, OREGON: A man who allegedly tortured a woman he held captive in Oregon after previously being convicted of keeping another woman in captivity in Nevada is reportedly using dating apps to find people who can help him evade the authorities as well as to find new victims, the police stated. 36-year-old Benjamin Obadiah Foster is being hunted by law enforcement after a woman was found unconscious, bound, and close to death in Grants Pass, Oregon on Tuesday, January 24.
In a combined effort on Thursday night, January 26, Grants Pass police, sheriff’s deputies, an Oregon State Police SWAT team, and federal agents reportedly raided a property in Wolf Creek, where they seized the suspect's car and arrested a 68-year-old woman for hindering prosecution. Foster managed to escape the area, which is thickly forested and mountainous, authorities said.
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Court records obtained by Fox 26 stated that Tina Marie Jones, who was arrested Thursday, followed Foster in a vehicle earlier that day as he drove to a remote location in Wolf Creek before deliberately driving his 2008 Nissan Sentra over an embankment. Jones subsequently gave the suspect a ride to the property that was raided Thursday night, per Josephine County Circuit Court records. Grants Pass police have now revealed that 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."
If you see Benjamin Obadiah Foster, call 911 immediately and do not make contact with him, he is considered extremely dangerous.
— Ethan McReynolds (@EthanMcTV) January 27, 2023
The latest on the attempted murder suspect on the run stemming from an incident in Grants Pass: pic.twitter.com/89ULNE9IKN
Speaking to AP on Thursday, Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman said it was "extremely troubling" that Foster was at large and able to prey on other women instead of being incarcerated for his crimes in Nevada. Before moving to Oregon, the suspect held his former girlfriend captive inside her Las Vegas apartment for over a fortnight in 2019. Initially, he faced decades in prison upon conviction after being charged with five felonies, including assault and battery. However, in August 2021, Foster struck a deal with Clark County prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to one felony count of battery and a misdemeanor count of battery constituting domestic violence. The perp was sentenced to up to 2.5 years in a Nevada prison, but he was left with fewer than 200 days to serve in state custody after the 729 days he had spent in jail awaiting trial were factored into his sentence. A Las Vegas police report noted how Foster's ex suffered seven broken ribs, two black eyes, and injuries from being bound with zip ties and duct tape for two weeks.
The woman told investigators that she was forced to eat lye and had been choked to unconsciousness. She eventually managed to escape when her captor let her out of his sight during a trip to a grocery store and gas station. Foster was out of custody at the time on a suspended jail sentence for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, per court records. Meanwhile, he was also awaiting trial in another 2018 domestic violence case, but his 2021 plea deal settled that case and he was "sentenced to credit for time served," per a copy of the agreement. Grants Pass police have warned the community that Foster is believed to be armed and "extremely dangerous."
