Ward Weaver: Like Father, Like Son

Weaver Home

On August 15, Ward Weaver III had begun making plans to leave town. He had packed most of his things, and was nearly ready to try and disappear. He had asked his 24-year-old son's girlfriend, who was 19 at that time, to help him carry his belongings outside when, with little or no warning, he attacked the young woman while she was in the bathroom. He ripped off her clothes and raped her, then attempted to strangle her. Fortunately, she was able to break free from his grip, and ran out of the house with only a shower curtain wrapped around her. Weaver, realizing that things had suddenly gone terribly wrong for him, jumped inside his car and attempted to flee the area. His victim, however, was able to get help and the police were called. Acting quickly, the Oregon City police stopped him before he got out of town.

According to CNN, Weaver was arrested and taken to the Oregon City Jail, where he was booked on charges of first-degree rape and sexual abuse of his son's girlfriend. Because he was fleeing the scene of a crime, the district attorney's office feared that he might leave town, or possibly the country, if he made bail. As a result, bail was set at $1 million.

Investigators told the public that prior to the attack on his son's girlfriend, law enforcement authorities hadn't had sufficient probable cause evidence to arrest Weaver or to even obtain a warrant to search his house. Now, however, the task force investigators felt that they could get a warrant to search Weaver's house to gather evidence of the attack for which he had been arrested, but they felt it prudent that it be only a limited warrant at this point to include only the interior of the house.

The cops realized that they still needed a break, a big one, to crack the case of the missing girls.