Perennial political candidate and attention seeker Paul Tay was arrested in Tulsa on Monday evening on charges of first-degree rape, kidnapping and assault with a dangerous weapon, police in Tulsa announced Tuesday.
In a statement, the Tulsa Police Department said Tay, 58, drove to Bethany to pick up a woman who had responded to a Craigslist ad seeking staff for one of his political campaigns.
"When Paul Tay picked her up, the victim said he headed to Tulsa, not OKC," TPD said. "The victim said she tried to get out, but Tay would not let her out of the car. Instead, Tay hit the victim with a pipe and sexually assaulted her."
"On Monday, the victim said she convinced Tay to take her to Walmart at 31st and Harvard to buy hygiene products," police said. "Once at the store, the victim was able to get away and get help from a store employee. Officers arrived and arrested Tay in the parking lot."
Tulsa County Jail records indicated that as of Wednesday morning, Tay was being held without bond on the three charges, with a court appearance scheduled for Monday.
Tay has a history of garish behavior, including interrupting political events and displaying sex toys to childrenon school buses.