(NewsNation) — A man accused of kidnapping a woman and brutally attacking her in Oregon nearly a week ago is still on the run. Police said suspect Benjamin Foster, 36, was spotted Tuesday morning in the Grants Pass area walking a small dog.
Despite the sighting, the intensive manhunt for Foster is still underway. While details of the case are sparse, investigators say the victim was found last Tuesday unconscious, bound and near death in Grants Pass.
Foster is wanted on the following charges: attempted murder, kidnapping and assault in the attack of the Oregon woman, who remains in the hospital in critical condition.
Authorities have called Foster “extremely dangerous” and offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to his arrest and prosecution. Police say he is “actively” using dating sites to potentially find new victims or people who may be able to help him avoid police.
Investigators found Foster’s car Thursday after raiding a property in the unincorporated community of Wolf Creek, around 20 miles north of Grants Pass. While there, they arrested a 68-year-old woman for hindering prosecution. She is accused of following Foster earlier that day as he intentionally drove his car over an embankment and then giving him a ride back to the property where Foster is believed to have been hiding and ultimately managed to escape.
This is not the first time Foster has faced allegations like this. In 2019, before moving to Oregon, Foster was arrested for holding his then-girlfriend captive inside her Las Vegas apartment for two weeks. The woman told investigators she was forced to eat lye and choked to the point of unconsciousness.
According to a police report, she suffered several broken ribs and had two black eyes as well as injuries from being bound at the wrists and ankles. She escaped when Foster let her out of his sight during a trip to a grocery store and gas station.
Foster was initially charged with five felonies and faced decades in prison. But in 2021, he reached a deal with prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to two and a half years behind bars with credit for time served.
Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman called it “extremely troubling” that Foster was a free man and able to prey on other women instead of being behind bars for crimes in Nevada.
Anyone who sees Foster is urged to immediately call 911.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.