Former Tulsa mayoral candidate arrested for alleged rape, kidnapping
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — A Tulsa man who's been in the local headlines off and on for years over public antics and repeated runs for public office is now in jail.
Police arrested Paul Tay around 11 p.m. Monday for alleged rape and kidnapping.
According to Tulsa police, a woman reported that she responded to a Craigslist ad for a job on Tay's gubernatorial campaign team on Sunday. The ad stated he would give applicants a place to stay as well as pay.
The victim told Tay she didn't have a ride to Oklahoma City, where the ad stated the job would be, so he offered to pick her up in Bethany, according to arrest reports.
Once he picked her up, the victim said he immediately started driving to Tulsa instead and wouldn't let her out of the vehicle.
The victim told police that Tay drove her to his residence where he kept her against her will.
On Monday, she was able to convince him to take her to Walmart where she was finally able to get away.
A Walmart employee called 911, and officers arrived and detained him in the parking lot.
Tay was booked into the Tulsa County jail on complaints of first-degree rape, kidnapping, and assault with a dangerous weapon. His bond is set at $85,000.
In 2016, Tay ran to be Tulsa's mayor and disrupted a televised political debate he wasn't invited to.
In 2019, he was arrested for sending threatening messages to a Tulsa City Councilwoman, and last year, he was arrested for soliciting prostitution and was sentenced to serve nine months in jail.
In June, he filed paperwork with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission seeking to run for governor against Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2022.
https://ktul.com/news/local/former-tulsa-mayoral-candidate-arrested-for-alleged-rape-kidnapping