Woman escapes after being held captive in Tuolumne County; suspect shot by deputies
A Tuolumne County man was shot and wounded after sheriff’s deputies responded to a report that he had kidnapped a woman, held her captive and beat her for more than a week.
Groveland-area resident John Banks, 61, will be booked on several charges after he is discharged from a hospital, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office said.
A news release Sunday said the victim escaped and contacted the sheriff’s office Friday about what had happened to her at Banks’ home. It is on North Boitano Road in a remote part of the Tuolumne River canyon, about three miles north of Highway 120.
The charges against Banks include domestic battery, but the victim’s relationship to him was not disclosed. Details also were not available on her condition or on how she escaped.
The release provided these further details:
Banks tied up the woman and threatened to kill her over several days. After she escaped, she told deputies that he possessed firearms and had threatened to shoot officers who responded.
Deputies obtained an arrest warrant and went to the home Saturday night with the department’s SWAT unit and Crisis Negotiation Team. Just after 8 p.m., Banks confronted the officers outside the home with a gun and was shot.
Details were not released on the number of gunshots or whether the suspect fired his weapon. No other people were injured.
Banks was reported to be in stable condition. He faces charges that include kidnapping, domestic battery, false imprisonment with violence, criminal threats, intimidating a victim, and damaging or destroying a wireless communication device.
The case will be investigated by the Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office, the standard procedure for officer-involved shootings.
