SEATTLE, May 2 (UPI) -- Seattle investigators say they are looking for other women who crossed paths with a suspect charged with holding a prostitute in a homemade torture chamber.
John Hauff, 66, Tacoma was due in King County court Monday to be arraigned on kidnapping and rape charges in the alleged April 2 assault on a woman he picked up at a Seattle intersection.
According to prosecution documents, Hauff allegedly tormented the woman for several hours before letting her go. The woman had told Hauff she had texted his license number to her boyfriend with instructions to call the police if she was not home by midnight, the Seattle Times said Monday.
Police said they wanted to speak to any other prostitutes who had come in contact with Hauff. "We are not interested in asking any potential victim or victims if they were involved in crimes of prostitution or drug offenses when they encountered Mr. Hauff," Assistant Chief Jim Pugel said.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Sean O'Donnell wrote that Hauff appeared to have been a fan of sadomasochistic pornography and had set up a room in his house to act out his fantasies.
The alleged victim pointed out Hauff in a photographic lineup and he was arrested April 16 and held without bond.
"Police discovered what can best be described as a torture room in the defendant's home," O'Donnell told the court. "Great care appears to have been invested in the room's construction."
Neighbors told KOMO-TV, Seattle, that Hauff, a junk hauler by trade, was a nice enough neighbor but appeared somewhat eccentric.
