Post hostage-taking arrest surprises neighbor

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office says a cabin about an hour outside of Prineville was the scene of a horrible crime.

The home outside of Post is where a woman allegedly was held hostage for nearly three weeks and assaulted with a blow torch.

The man who lives there, 34-year-old Josef Taylor, was arrested
Tuesday and faces numerous charges, including assault.

However, he has not been charged with kidnapping. Officials say that will come if he’s indicted by the grand jury that heard the case Friday.

NewsChannel 21 is not identifying the victim, but neighbors said she was the on-and-off again girlfriend of Taylor.

Prosecutors say she is originally from Washington state.

Neighbor Jackie Hendrickson said she finds the accusations hard to believe.

“He was just a quiet neighbor,” she said of Taylor. “When we needed help, he was here, and when he needed help, we were here.”

Hendrickson said the woman was visiting Taylor, and appeared to come and go as she pleased.

“She could walk down here any time she wanted,” Hendrickson said.

But deputies say they’ve collected plenty of evidence pointing to both kidnapping and assault.

Undersheriff John Gautney said exits to the cabin locked from the outside.

He also said the victim had minor injuries from the blow torch and was taken to the cabin against her will.

The sheriff’s office said the victim had a no-contact order against Taylor, stemming from a previous domestic violence case reported a couple months ago.

Taylor is expected to appear in court on Monday.