Kidnapping/Rape Arrest Near Woodland—Classic Hits 100.7 KLOG News

A Woodland man was arrested yesterday following a reported kidnapping and rape near the Columbia River.

Troy Brightbill says Cowlitz 911 received a report of a possible kidnapping around 5:50 a.m. Deputies responded to the Austin Point area near Woodland and found two women who had flagged down a passing driver to call for help.

Investigators say the women had been at a club in Portland and originally planned to take an Uber home. However, a friend reportedly recommended a man at the club, identified as 33-year-old Jacob Meyer of Woodland, to drive them instead. Deputies say Meyer initially drove toward the women’s Portland home before changing direction and driving to a wooded area near Austin Point, arriving around 4 a.m.

According to investigators, the women told deputies Meyer refused to take them home and demanded sexual favors. He allegedly pulled a knife, threatened to kill them, and sexually assaulted one of the women.

Deputies, assisted by the Woodland Police Department, located Meyer nearby and took him into custody. He was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on charges including two counts of second-degree kidnapping, second-degree rape, indecent liberties, and two counts of felony harassment.