A Woodland man was arrested Thursday, May 28, after authorities say he kidnapped two women, threatened to kill them with a knife and sexually assaulted one of them near Austin Point in the Woodland Bottoms area.
According to a news release by the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 5:52 a.m. on May 28 after Cowlitz 911 received a report of a possible kidnapping. Deputies contacted two women near Austin Point after the pair flagged down a passerby for help.
Investigators learned the women had been at a club in Portland earlier in the night and had planned to take an Uber home. However, a friend reportedly recommended a man identified as 33-year-old Jacob A. Meyer, of Woodland, as an alternative ride.
The women accepted a ride from Meyer, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities said Meyer initially drove toward the women’s Portland home before changing direction and driving into a wooded area near Austin Point in Washington, arriving around 4 a.m., the release states.
The women told deputies Meyer refused to take them home and instead demanded sexual favors. Investigators said Meyer allegedly displayed a knife, threatened to kill the women and sexually assaulted one of them, the release added.
Deputies, assisted by the Woodland Police Department, located Meyer nearby and took him into custody.
Meyer was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on suspicion of two counts of second-degree kidnapping, one count of second-degree rape, one count of indecent liberties and two counts of felony harassment.
The investigation remains ongoing, the release stated. As of press time, Meyer remains in custody at Cowlitz County Jail on a $150,000 bond.
