North Carolina authorities are searching for a man they said assaulted a woman repeatedly while holding her captive for three days inside his Catawba County home.
Investigators said authorities were called to a truck stop in Newton, North Carolina, in reference to a woman in distress.
The woman told police she had been held captive and tortured by her abusive boyfriend Jason Shook.
"There was a brief moment where Mr. Shook left the room that they were in and during that time she left the bedroom and ran out the front door and across highway 10 west to Love's Truck Stop,” Lt. David Eckard, with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, said.
She told police that Shook repeatedly beat her with a baseball bat and a coat hanger.
The search warrant on Shook, 35, said the victim was also raped. She was taken to Frye Hospital, where she received medical treatment.
Investigators executed a search warrant on Shook’s home and seized evidence inside. The suspect had fled by the time police arrived, though, and authorities are currently searching for him.
He has an outstanding warrant for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injuries. The investigation is ongoing and more charges could be forthcoming.
The Family Guidance Center in Hickory helps more than a thousand women each year involved in abusive relationships.
"If you are in imminent danger, we will get you to a safe place," the center’s Ann Peele said. "We will provide you with the tools to escape a situation as safely as possible."
The Catawba County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in finding Shook.
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