Who is Paul Tay? Oklahoma guv hopeful kidnapped woman, raped her with pipe at home
TULSA, OKLAHOMA: In a horrifying incident of sexual assault, an independent gubernatorial candidate from Oklahoma has been arrested after he allegedly kidnapped a woman and brutally raped her with a pipe. Paul Tay, who was running for the position of Oklahoma governor in next year's race, reportedly targeted the victim when she responded to his job interview ad on Craigslist. The 58-year-old is now facing charges of first-degree assault, kidnapping and assault with a dangerous weapon.
While Tay might have portrayed an untainted image in public for his political aspirations, he has had several run-ins with the law in the past. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer. In 2019, he was arrested for soliciting prostitution and found guilty in the case the following year. He had also outraged public decency in the past. His latest arrest happened on Monday, August 23 and he is currently in custody at Tulsa County Jail on an $85,000 bond.
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Who is Paul Tay?
Paul Tay had previously run for the position of Tulsa Mayor, prior to his gubernatorial mission. According to KTUL, Tay had been in the local headlines time and again for his repeated crimes and unsuccessful runs for public office.
Tulsa police stated that Tay recently put up an advertisement on Craigslist for a job on his campaign team. The woman responded to his ad and was called for an interview. Tay picked her up himself in Bethany as the woman said she did not have a ride to Oklahoma City. As soon as she got into his car, Tay reportedly drove toward Tulsa and foiled her desperate efforts to exit his vehicle. He then got hold of a pipe and "hit her on her pelvis area as she was attempting to get out." During the car ride, Tay ran out of gas once, when he locked the victim inside his car to fill up his tank.
Later, he forcibly took her to his home and tried to have sex with her before raping her with the pipe. The victim later managed to convince Tay to take her to a Walmart outlet for buying hygiene products. At the store, she sought help from an employee and got Paul Tay arrested in the parking lot.
If the charges against Tay are proven, he might face jail time from five years up to life for first-degree rape, 10 years for assault with a dangerous weapon, and up to 20 years for kidnapping. He had previously served a sentence of nine months for facilitating prostitution.