Post man jailed on kidnap, assault charges

A Post resident has been arrested on kidnap, assault and other charges, accused of holding a woman against her will in a locked cabin for several days, assaulting and threatening to kill her, before she was able to escape, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said.

Here’s the full text of Wednesday’s news release from Undersheriff John Gautney:

On Sept. 10, the Crook County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a possible kidnapping and assault of a female. The female had managed to get away from the male suspect and fled to a neighboring house where she was contacted by deputies.

It was alleged the female adult was held, against her will, and locked in a cabin for several days and was physically assaulted during this time, along with threats to kill her. This case stems from a previous domestic assault between the same two people.

The male was arrested previously by the Sheriff’s Office for assault and currently has a No-Contact Order against him involving this same female victim.

In addition, starting around June 1 st of this year, the Sheriff’s Office began taking reports of residential burglaries in the area of Conant Basin Road, which leads into the area of SE Osprey Road.

The Sheriff’s Office Deputies received information there was property at the above location and in possession of Josef Taylor. During the ongoing investigation, Deputies applied for and were granted a search warrant for the property at 19554 SE Osprey Road.

During the early morning hours of Tuesday, Crook County sheriff’s deputies, assisted by the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team (CERT), executed a traffic stop on a vehicle in the vicinity of the residence, and took Josef Taylor into custody. The search warrant was then executed on the residence and property located on SE Osprey Road.

During the search, numerous items of evidence were seized in regard to the kidnapping and assault case as well as other evidence of criminal activity. There was property recovered from two separate residential burglaries that had been reported to the Sheriff’s Office in the area.

At this time, it is possible there may be more victims of theft and burglary in this area that are not yet aware, as there are many homes here that are not occupied on a full-time basis. Anyone with information regarding this case, or other cases in the area, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at 541-447-6398.

Josef Grant Taylor, 34 year old resident of Post, Oregon, was arrested and lodged in the Crook County Jail on the below listed charges:

Felon in Possession of a Firearm, 6 Counts ; Kidnap I, Assault III, Tampering with a Witness; Menacing; Burglary I, 2 Counts; Theft I, and Violation of a Release Agreement.

Total Bail: $172,500

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office was assisted greatly in this investigation by members of the CERT team and the Crook County District Attorney’s Office.