Crooked River Ranch, Ore. – A pair of Crooked River Ranch were finally able to call for help after being kidnapped and assaulted late last week before being released at a Sisters service station, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. The suspected kidnappers, a man and woman who knew the victims, were stopped and arrested Friday on O.B. Riley Road near Hardy Lane.
At about 9 p.m. Thursday, Kiteara Westover and Damian Patteeuw, both 23, were in their bedroom when Jeremiah Degraw, 37, and Alisha Bryden, 36, entered and accused the couple of stealing from Bryden. Westover and Patteeuw rent the room from Bryden, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
At that point, according to the sheriff’s office, Degraw began to assault Westover with a sap — a leather sleeve filled with lead pellets — after which Bryden allegedly grabbed Westover by the hair and dragged her from the room. Degraw began to hit Patteeuw with the sap, according to the sheriff’s office. Both Degraw and Bryden also were armed with handguns, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to authorities, the victims’ hands and feet were bound with zip ties while the alleged assault continued for over an hour; they were then loaded into a Ford Expedition at gunpoint and threatened with death. Bryden’s 9-year-old daughter witnessed the alleged mistreatment.
Westover and Patteeuw were driven around in the Expedition, terrorized and threatened with further harm unless they paid for items they supposedly stole from Bryden, according to the sheriff’s office. While this was happening, Degraw allegedly threatened Westover by using a folding knife to cut off portions of her hair while Westover and Patteeuw were ordered to call friends and relatives to wire money.
According to authorities, the alleged captors eventually drove to Sisters and rented a room at the Sisters Motor Lodge. The zip ties binding the victims’ feet were cut so they could walk inside, where they were warned against fleeing. They were loaded back into the Expedition the following morning and began to drive toward Eugene. However, the trip was cut short when the alleged kidnappers realized that without tire chains they wouldn’t be able to cross the pass, according to authorities.
At about 3:40 p.m. Friday, Degraw and Bryden released Westover and Patteeuw, ordering them to enter the Sisters Chevron Mainline Station and create a scene while their captors made an escape, according to the sheriff’s office news release. Once inside, the victims contacted the police and provided a description of the vehicle. They were subsequently taken to St. Charles Bend for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and released.
Meanwhile, an Oregon State Police trooper spotted the gold Expedition on U.S. Highway 20 in Tumalo and, with the assistance of county deputies, stopped it on O.B. Riley Road. Degraw, Bryden and Bryden’s daughter were removed without injury, and the girl was taken into protective custody by the Oregon Department of Human Services.
Bryden and Degraw were taken to Deschutes County jail and charged with a slew of crimes, including kidnapping, robbery and assault. Bail for each has been set at $710,000.
