PD: Woman escapes Scottsdale sex dungeon; man arrested

(NOTE: Due to the potentially graphic nature of this story, discretion is advised)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (FOX 10) -- Court documents provided graphic details surrounding the arrest of a man who is accused of kidnapping and aggravated assault, after a woman escaped from a "sex dungeon" in Scottsdale.

According to court paperwork, 48-year-old Jason Monroe Smith was arrested on May 8 in Scottsdale, but documents surrounding Smith's case were released a week later, on Wednesday. The alleged incidents happened between February and early May of this year, and the victim, who was only identified in court documents as a woman, met Smith online via a dating app.

The woman, according to Scottsdale Police officials, began dating Smith after they communicated online for a short while. The conversations, according to the victim, were "normal" dating conversations, and the victim also said she was aware that the suspect was interested in an alternative lifestyle, which she said Smith described as "50 Shades of Grey, with a twist". The victim said that did not bother her at first, and that within the first few dates, she and Smith became intimate. The sexual relationship was described as "very normal", and not "concerning or violent".

The victim, according to police, later agreed to move in with Smith at his home. At the time, the victim said her living circumstances were tenuous, and would have been considered "homeless". The victim said she was aware, at the time she arrived at the house, that Smith had built a BDSM-style dungeon in his home, which encompassed the main living area. She said during the first few days, nothing was abnormal, but that Smith had indicated he was working on a "contract" for her.

The "contract", according to investigators, listed things the victim would allow Smith to do, in return for her living at Smith's home, and the victim did not like many of the items listed, including provisions that allowed Smith to "use as much force as he wanted against her". The "contract" also contained provisions that required the victim sleep in a cage, refer to herself as "the slave" and Smith as "master", and required that there will be no "safe words". According to the Oxford English Dictionaries, a "safe word" is a word that serves as a pre-arranged and unambiguous signal to end an activity, such as between a dominant and submissive sexual couple. Other provisions included in the "contract" include a ban on the woman holding a job and having money.

The woman, police say, refused to sign the "contract" at first, but eventually agreed to sign as she had no option as to where to go and feared "failing". The victim said she was not able to do anything without Smith's express permission, and was forced to not wear clothes while in the home. She said she was also not allowed to use any personal electronic devices unless Smith allowed her to have it, and that Smith would punish her use for not listening to him, to include beating.

Police investigators, in its probable cause statement, explained the assaults they say were committed by Smith in graphic detail. One incident happened on March 3, when the victim said she was sitting outside with the suspect on the back porch, and that Smith proceeded to act as if he was going to give her a shoulder rub. Instead, Smith grabbed the victim by the hair, and dragged her through the home's master bedroom. The suspect then pulled off whatever clothing the victim was wearing, as they moved into a room described as the "great room", which had been fashioned into a dungeon that contained various apparatus that were meant to torture and control a person. The victim, in this particular incident, was handcuffed, shocked electrically by a shock collar that was placed around her neck, and whipped. The victim said Smith threw her into the metal cage after he appeared exhausted. The victim said there were other instances of assaults, numbering approximately four or more occasions.

According to investigators, the victim said she was never raped while living at Smith's home, but said she and Smith did have sexual intercourse that was not violent in nature. The victim said Smith would switch from "sweet" to "intolerable" without warning, and that while Smith eventually became somewhat less violent with her and she tried to make a relationship with him, she decided to run away from the home, after a few more bad experiences. She initially remained at the home despite the abuse, as she had nowhere to go and she was afraid in "failing": in terms of not being able to manage her own affairs.

The victim, police officials say, was able to leave Smith's home on the night of May 5. On that night, the victim had access to her cell phone, and called a person whose identity was redacted from the court documents released to FOX 10. That person arranged to meet the victim in the area of Cactus and Loop 101 in Scottsdale, and the victim snuck out of the house at a pre-arranged time, and walked to the location.

Police say Smith was found with the victim at the time of his arrest.

Bond for Smith, who according to court documents also went by the aliases "Jason Schmidt", "Jay Tiger", "Jace Kyland", and "Jace Smith", is set at $250,000. He is also ordered to not return to the scene of the alleged crime.

Meanwhile, FOX 10's Matt Rodewald has spoken with the victim at the home, who gave a different version of the story.

"He's not a dirtbag, and he's not -- he's not this person," said the victim.

The woman, who invited Rodewald and a FOX 10 crew member into the home, defended Smith, who she called her boyfriend, and said investigators mischaracterize the relationship.

"I described our sexual relationship as very normal, and not concerning or violent," said the woman. "They are trying to make it like it is."

In addition, the woman said she was never held against her will.

"If I was bound and gagged and I was a prisoner and this was the seventh circle of hell for me, why am I here?"