Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley reports his deputies arrested Craig Patrick Waits, 53, from Lyons, for Kidnap I, Robbery I, Theft I, Strangulation, Assaulting a Public Safety Officer and Resisting Arrest.
The arrest is a result of an investigation from a report made to deputies on November 2, 2016. Waits allegedly kidnapped his ex-wife’s new boyfriend at gunpoint, tied him to a weight bench for several hours, reportedly hit him with the butt of a rifle and put a plastic bag over his head. After several hours, Waits let the victim go telling him to leave the state. The victim went to the hospital where he was treated and released for his injuries.
The ex-wife and victim had been living with Waits at his residence located at the 44000 block of West McCully Mountain Drive in Lyons, Oregon, where the kidnapping occurred.
Waits was reportedly in possession of numerous firearms, had surveillance cameras and had set booby traps on much of his property. Deputies set up a perimeter and kept watch on Waits’ property.
Approximately 11:00 p.m. last night, deputies were able to establish contact with Waits and convinced him to meet them in his driveway. When deputies tried to take Waits into custody he resisted which resorted to Waits being tazed. Waits is currently lodged in the Linn County Jail.
The investigation is continuing.