Longshot candidate for governor of Oklahoma known for bizarre antics 'hit a woman with a pipe then raped her' police say after offering her a ride to interview for his campaign team
Paul Tay, 58, was charged with first-degree rape, kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon
An eccentric candidate for Oklahoma governor is accused of kidnapping a would-be campaign staffer, assaulting her with a metal pipe when she tried to escape, then raping her in his home, police said.
On Tuesday, Tulsa Police Department said that Paul Tay, 58, attacked a woman twice Sunday after she responded to his Craigslist posting for a job on his political team. He picked her up under the guise of driving her to Oklahoma City for an interview.
The woman told police that she attempted to escape Tay's car once she realized that he was driving in the wrong direction. But Tay struck her in the pelvis with a metal pipe, Tulsa Police Lt. Darin Ehrenrich told KOTV-DT.
'It’s terrifying - I can’t imagine what a victim would go through, number one, being brutally assaulted just trying to get out of a car,' Ehrenrich told the outlet.
'This is an absolutely horrifying crime.'
The victim told police she was too frightened to try to get away a second time when Tay's car ran out of gas. She did not struggle, police said, when he allegedly locked her in his car near Beggs and panhandled for money.
Previously, Tay ran for Mayor of Tulsa in 2002, 2006, 2009, 2016 and 2020. He has also campaigned multiple times for a position on Tulsa's City Council.
Tulsa World described Tay in 2015 as 'a local political activist and civic gadfly who is often seen around town, usually on bike, dressed as Santa Claus, and every now and then in a dress and wig'
Once he filled the tank, police said in a press release, Tay took his victim to his home where he raped her.
Police said they arrested Tay in a Walmart parking lot after his victim convinced him to take her to the store to buy hygiene products. She flagged down store employees who called police.
'She’s very smart, she’s obviously a very intelligent person, being able to think that quickly to be able to convince to get her some products that she needed,’ Ehrenrich said.
Tay was sent to Tulsa County Jail, according to KTUL, in lieu of $85,000 bail.
Police arrested Tay in a Walmart parking lot after his victim, police said, convinced him to take her to the store. There, she flagged down store employees who called police.
Along with his runs for local office, he is known for biking through downtown Tulsa with sexually-explicit signs, towing a giant penis along a busy expressway and crashing a 2016 mayoral debate on live television, said the Washington Post
Tulsa World described Tay in 2015 as 'a local political activist and civic gadfly who is often seen around town, usually on bike, dressed as Santa Claus and every now and then in a dress and wig.'
Along with his runs for local office, he is known for biking through downtown Tulsa with sexually explicit signs, towing a giant penis along a busy expressway and crashing a 2016 mayoral debate on live television, wrote the Washington Post.
He announced his intention to run as an independent for Oklahoma governor in 2022 earlier this year.
Tay ran for Mayor of Tulsa in 2002, 2006, 2009, 2016 and 2020. Each time, he accrued less than 3 percent of total votes cast, according to Ballotpedia and Tulsa World. He also campaigned multiple times for a position on Tulsa's City Council.
This is not Tay's first run-in with the law.
In 2015, according to the Tulsa World, he was arrested after stealing bags of blankets and clothing meant for the homeless at Tulsa's Route 66 Marathon event.
A city councilor filed a restraining order against him in 2019, the outlet reported, after he wrote the following in a Facebook post:
'If you don’t do EXACTLY what I tell you to do, I WILL do EVERYTHING I can in 2020 to make you work for your f*cking job, get it? I ALWAYS get my way, eventually. How would you like to spend some quality time with baby in NICU #Gloves Off.'
He served nine months in jail for soliciting a prostitute last year and, according to KOTV-DT, he also has been charged with disturbing the peace and obstructing officers.
But Tay's political career could be put on hold if he is convicted of first-degree rape, assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping charges.
In Oklahoma, anyone who pleads guilty to a felony charge is ineligible for political office for 15 years after their sentence, or until their conviction is appealed.