More 'bondage room' victims suspected

TACOMA — The rusted carcass of a Volkswagen Beetle rests near the padlocked gate leading onto a sprawling property at the end of a dead-end street in northeast Tacoma. Invisible from the road, a 55-foot mobile home sits somewhere among the old shipping containers, dilapidated vehicles and scrap metal strewed beneath power lines that stretch into the distance.

Up until his arrest on Saturday, John Joseph Hauff Jr. lived in the mobile home in this rural corner not far from the King-Pierce county line. Attached to his home, Hauff, 66, built what police call a "bondage room" where he tortured and raped a 24-year-old prostitute he picked up April 2 in Seattle, according to charging documents filed Tuesday in King County Superior Court.

On Wednesday, Seattle police appealed for other potential victims to come forward. Sgt. Sean Whitcomb said detectives "believe there are more" victims, but think people may be reluctant to contact police because of possible drug use and involvement in prostitution.

"We're overlooking that because this guy is so dangerous," Whitcomb said. "We're more concerned about the serious, violent crimes of kidnapping, rape and torture."

He asked that anyone with information about Hauff call the department's tip line at 206-233-5000.

Hauff is being held without bail in the King County Jail, charged with first-degree kidnapping, first-degree rape and second-degree assault, according to jail and court records.

A man who identified himself as the property owner said Hauff had lived on the land rent-free for the past three years at the invitation of the man's father, who died two years ago. Hauff made his living scrapping steel, and he shared custody of his 13-year-old son with his ex-wife, said the man, who declined to give his name.

"He's been a diligent, hard worker, cleaning up my father's estate," the man said of Hauff. "He's a very pleasant guy."

The man, who said he'd never been inside Hauff's home, was "pretty shocked" to hear of the allegations against Hauff.

Around 9:30 p.m. on April 2, Hauff introduced himself as "John" to a 24-year-old woman who was working as a prostitute in the 8200 block of Aurora Avenue North, charging papers say. He offered her $100 and said he wanted to tie her wrists to his bed posts and use a sex toy on her.

The woman agreed, as long as he promised not to bind her too tight, the papers say. He assured her he wouldn't.

As they drove to Tacoma, the woman became concerned for her safety and asked him to stop for cigarettes. While out of the car, the woman sent a text message to her boyfriend with the vehicle's license-plate number. She also texted that she was going with a man who lived in Tacoma, and requested that her boyfriend call police if he didn't hear from her by midnight.

Once inside the house, Hauff escorted the woman to a room and "quickly put a chain around the victim's neck and padlocked it" and she began to scream and panic, according to charging papers.

She asked Hauff if he was going to hurt her and he allegedly replied, "Yes." She then asked if he was going to kill her and he stated, "We'll see," the papers say.

Hauff is accused of torturing the woman with electrodes for eight hours, hitting her with a paddle and binding her with rope so tightly her flesh turned blue, according to charging papers.

The woman, fearing "she would be killed and buried somewhere in his yard," told Hauff about the text message she had sent, charging papers say.

He "became very nice" after seeing the text message on her phone, the papers say. He gave her an extra $100, told her, "I don't think we need to involve the police," and drove her back to Seattle, the papers say.

He allegedly told her he was a follower of "Gor" novels, a reference to a series of erotic novels by John Norman that describe the bondage of "slave girls."

When police arrested Hauff around 3:35 a.m. Saturday he had just moved his elderly mother into the home, said Seattle police Lt. Eric Sano. Hauff's mother is now with other relatives, he said.

Detectives found the bondage room, with 8-inch-thick walls, and "recovered syringes, belts, paddles, sexual devices, locks, ropes, chains, tubing and two devices that appear to be designed to administer electricity to the human body," charging papers say.

"It's a sad thing to see on this peaceful piece of property," the property owner said. "The guy's in trouble and he won't be living up here no more."

Times news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report.

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com