Oregon man, 36, who “tortured and attempted to kill” his date is arrested
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An Oregon man who used dating apps to attract women and “tortured and attempted to kill” his latest victim has been arrested after a police confrontation at his victim’s home.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, of Wolf Creek, located 60 miles north of the California border, was taken into custody, the Grants Pass Police Department said in a statement. Press release.
Foster led police in a multi-hour standoff in which he reportedly barricaded himself beneath the home of victim Justine Siemens on Shane Way, where he “tied up and severely beat” her until she was unconscious. He remains in ICU in critical condition.
The alleged abuser fled the Siemens home on January 24 after his friend stopped to check on her after he was unable to get in touch with her. He reportedly “interrupted” the torture, and after the police arrived they described the scene as “absolutely disgusting” and “horrible”.
Police accused him of ‘intentionally torturing’ Siemens for a ‘prolonged period of time’. The police also said CNN the incident “was not a random attack” and that Foster and Siemens had a “prior relationship”, but he did not elaborate.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, of Wolf Creek, was taken into custody by the Grants Pass Police Department at the home of his victim, Justine Siemens, on Shane Way.
He barricaded himself under the victims’ house and led the police in an hour-long standoff.
Police said Foster used dating apps to lure his victims, but Match Group, which owns Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge, and Bumble said they couldn’t find profiles matching his description but are still searching.
Police last saw him Tuesday morning walking a small dog in an orange jacket, jeans and a hat before leading police into a standoff.
Lt. Jeff Hattersley said Tuesday afternoon that authorities received “credible information” that Foster had entered the home. Just before 8:00 p.m., Hattersley said the situation was resolved.
Officers from four agencies converged on the area, set up a command post and formed a SWAT team. Some area residents received a shelter-in-place notice.
Last Thursday, police raided a property in the unincorporated community of Wolf Creek, but Foster, who had been staying at a family property there, got away.
Foster allegedly tied up and severely beat Siemens (pictured) at his home on January 24. Siemens is still in ICU after the attack and is in critical condition.
Authorities were alerted to the attack after her friend showed up at her house on January 24 after he failed to contact her and ‘interrupted’ the torture. Police said the scene was “absolutely disgusting” and “horrifying.”
After being heckled, Foster reportedly fled the scene in his Nissan to the Wolf Creek home of Tina Marie Jones, where his car and evidence that he was using dating apps to lure victims were found. He eventually returned to his house, where he was detained.
Forested mountains surround the community, but researchers believe that rather than disappear into the wild alone, Foster was helped to get out of the area.
The homeowner, Tina Marie Jones, 68, was arrested for allegedly trying to hide Foster and is currently in the Josephine County Jail.
Hattersley also believed that if Siemens’s friend had not turned up at his residence on Tuesday, “we would have a completely different investigation.”
“It’s clear that his intention was to kill her,” he told The New York Times. “I’ve been in law enforcement for 32 years, and this is one of the most egregious and horrifying cases I’ve ever seen.”
Siemens’ friend, Jacqueline Frankel, said she saw the couple at Corvette’s Bar and Grill in Grants Pass a few weeks before the alleged attack, even though they were not hanging out. Siemens appeared to work at the restaurant, according to her Facebook page.
Foster is also a bartender in Grants Pass. It’s not clear if he worked at Corvette, but police said he knew Siemens before the attack. DailyMail.com has contacted the restaurant for comment.
He was last seen Tuesday morning with a dog (pictured)
Foster has been accused of holding his girlfriend hostage in his Las Vegas apartment in 2019. He reportedly held his girlfriend captive for two weeks and brutally tortured her.
Frankel said Foster “seemed like a normal guy” at the time, but did not see him “hanging out” with Siemens.
This is not the first time Foster has faced similar charges, as he was convicted in 2019 of holding his girlfriend captive in Las Vegas, where she was attending college.
He reportedly held his girlfriend captive inside his own apartment for two weeks and brutally tortured her.
That victim, whose name has been redacted from court records, received a shaved head, seven broken ribs, two black eyes, and chemical burns from bleach, which Foster also allegedly forced her to eat, over the course of 16 days.
He was initially charged with five felony counts, including assault and battery, and faced decades in prison upon conviction. But, in August 2021, Foster reached a plea agreement with Clark County prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to one felony assault and one misdemeanor assault constituting domestic violence.
Tina Marie Jones was arrested for allegedly helping him hide out at his Wolf Creek home and is in the Josephine County Jail. Her car and evidence that she was using dating apps to attract victims were found at her home.
A judge sentenced him to up to 2.5 years in a Nevada prison. The 729 days he spent in jail awaiting trial were included in his sentence, leaving Foster with fewer than 200 days to serve in state custody.
The woman also told police that she was suffocated to the point of blacking out.
She escaped when Foster lost sight of her during a trip together to a grocery store and a gas station.
After spending several months in prison, Foster returned to Oregon, where “unfortunately, he found another woman to victimize in a very similar way,” Hattersley told The New York Times.
Court records show Foster was out of custody at the time with a suspended prison sentence for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. She was also awaiting trial in another 2018 case involving domestic violence. But Foster’s 2021 plea agreement with prosecutors settled the domestic violence case, a copy of the agreement shows, and he was “sentenced to credit for time served.”
Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman told the AP on Thursday that it is “extremely concerning” that Foster went out and was able to take advantage of other women instead of remaining behind bars for Nevada crimes.