Kidnapping Foiled: Hood River Best Western Employee Alerts Police, Suspect in Custody
From Hood River Police Department:
By Neal Holste
Hood River, OR. September 15, 2023 - Thanks to the quick actions of a Hood River Best Western employee to call for assistance, Hood River Police Department officers were able to rescue an out-of-state kidnapping victim and arrest the suspect.
On the evening of September 12, 2023 officers from the Hood River Police Department were dispatched to the Hood River Best Western on a report of a possible kidnapping. An employee of the Hood River Best Western called the Police to report suspicious activity between a male and female. The responding officers located the individuals and found the female to be visibly distressed. Following an investigation, officers arrested Lofton Olmstead, 32, of Hood River.
Officers learned the 36-year-old female victim had been taken by force from a residence in Trout Lake, WA. Olmstead was booked and lodged at NORCOR in The Dalles, OR on charges of Kidnapping, Interfering with making a report, Menacing, Reckless Endangering, and Coercion.
