Albany Man Arrested for Allegedly Raping Mentally Disabled Woman

Barbara Jane Steele, 48, of Albany, was also arrested after she lied to investigators about the suspects whereabouts.

Salem-News.com

(ALBANY, Ore. ) - Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller reports his detectives are investigating the rape and sexual abuse of a Harrisburg woman.

On August 10th at approximately 8:45 PM, a mentally disabled woman left her group care home in Albany and walked to a convenience store.

She met a man she didn’t know and left in his vehicle.

The sexual assault occurred at a location somewhere between Albany and Lebanon.

The man dropped the woman off at a different convenience store in Albany and she called 911 for help.

Albany police responded and transported her to a hospital for examination.

The 23-year-old victim, who has the mental capacity of someone younger than 9-years-old, was interviewed by Linn County Sheriff's Detectives at the ABC House in Albany, an assessment center for children suspected of being abused.

On September 12th, deputies arrested Richard Scott Eshbaugh, 33, of Albany, on charges of First Degree Sex Abuse and First Degree Rape.

He is currently being held in the Linn County Jail on $50,000 bail.

Barbara Jane Steele, 48, of Albany, was arrested for two counts of hindering prosecution after she lied to investigators about Eshbaugh’s whereabouts on Wednesday.

She was booked into the Linn County Jail and released on her own recognizance.

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Thank you. I apologize for not reading carefully.

Most newspapers have a policy against releasing the names of people who have been sexually assaulted. I realize this woman was arrestted, therefore making her a "news item" in her own right. But it's my opinion that the former policy should overrule the latter issue. You could have referred to her only as the victim.

Editor: The name of the victim has not been released in this story. The victim was 23, the other woman who police believe lied to them is 48, her name Barbara Jane Steele and she is not the victim. I know that you are trying to help, so thanks, but we do not as a policy release the names of sexual assault victims.

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