A Sweet Home man was among three arrested Thursday evening, March 31, for allegedly kidnapping an Albany woman – his wife, Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley said.
James Ryan Routon, 29, and two other male relatives of the alleged victim were arrested after an incident at Yellow Bottom Campground.
Riley said the county Dispatch Center received a call at 8:29 p.m. Thursday from Zackary Tyler Graeber, 22, of Philomath, reporting his girlfriend, Austin Cheyenne-Charlee Routon, 24, of Albany, had been kidnapped by three men, all relatives of the victim.
Graeber reported during that, during the alleged kidnapping, a gunshot was fired near the campground which is about 22 miles up Quartzville Road, east of Sweet Home, Riley said.
Deputies responded to the area and located the caller with several witnesses in the area. Deputies were unable to locate the three male suspects, who had left with the victim, Riley said.
At approximately 10 p.m., the victim, Austin Routon, contacted the sheriff’s office and reported she was at her mother’s address, just outside of Albany, and requested medics.
She was transported to Albany General Hospital by Jefferson Fire Department for minor bruising and scrapes.
The three suspects, James Ryan Routon, 29, from Sweet Home and Richard Thomas Foster, 61, and Charles Ernest Foster, 58, both of Albany, were located by deputies in North Albany.
James Routon is the victim’s husband, Charles Foster is the father of the victim and Richard Foster is the uncle of the victim, Riley said.
He said deputies learned that the three men arrived at the campground near Yellow
Bottom and got into a physical altercation with other campers.
During the altercation, a gunshot was fired into the air by one of the three suspects. Austin was taken from the campground against her will and taken to the residence near Albany, Riley said.
Richard Foster and Charles Foster were arrested and lodged in the Linn County Jail, initially for second-degree kidnapping, each on $50,000 bail. Routon was arrested for second-degree kidnapping and fourth-degree domestic assault, and held on a total of $100,728 bail.
The Linn County District Attorney later dismissed the charges against Richard Foster.
As of this week, charges against Charles Foster and Routon have been reduced to coercion. Routon is charged with coercion and fourth-degree assault. Both have been released and are scheduled to appear in court on April 18.
They were ordered to not have contact with Graeber or Austin Routon.