A Scottsdale man is accused of caging his girlfriend in a sex dungeon where he repeatedly whipped and shocked her against her will, according to Maricopa County court records.

Scottsdale police said Jason Monroe Smith, 48, met the woman through an online dating site called either "SeekingArrangement.com" or "Secretbenefits.com" in 2019, according to the records, which include a probable cause statement submitted to court after his arrest.

The woman told police that Smith described having an alternative lifestyle as "50 Shades of Grey with a twist" during their first few dates. She said it didn't bother her and that the two began a sexual relationship she described as normal, according to court documents.

The woman told investigators that she was homeless at the time and agreed to move into the man's house near the Loop 101 freeway and Thunderbird Road, which had a "BDSM-style dungeon" in the main living area, a reference to bondage, sadism and masochism, records state.

After a few days, Smith offered her a contract he had written that would let her live in his home. In exchange, the woman would have to abide by a list of requirements, which included allowing Smith to "use as much force as he wanted to against her."

Court documents say the woman initially refused to sign the contract, after which Smith angrily told her to leave.

Documents say the woman reluctantly signed the contract upon fearing she wouldn't be able to get her affairs in order on the street. The woman told police that the contract required her to refer to herself as "the slave" and Smith as "master," court records say.

She also was prohibited from having a job or money and was required to sleep in a cage. The woman also told investigators that she wasn't allowed to do anything without Smith's permission — including using any personal electronic devices.

Locked in a frame

Smith and the woman were sitting outside on a back porch on March 3 when he suddenly dragged her by the hair into the "dungeon" as he tore off her clothes, court records say.

Records describe the room as having a guillotine-like frame, metal rack, chains, whips and other blunt weapons — among other things.

The woman struggled against Smith as he locked her head and hands into the frame, police say. She repeated her safe word, "purple," when Smith shouted, "F--k your safe word."

Documents say Smith then placed an electric shock collar around her neck and repeatedly shocked her while she was in restraints. The woman told police it felt like "someone taking a hole punch to her neck repeatedly."

The woman told officers she struggled against her restraints so violently that she broke one of her wrists. Documents say she showed investigators pictures of her tattooed arm at an unnatural angle, which police deduced could be a broken bone.

She told police that Smith then threw her to the ground and shackled her to metal bolts secured to the room's subflooring. Documents say he began beating her with a bull whip and continued to shock her as she begged him to stop.

Police say Smith ignored her as he whipped her roughly 50 times before exhausting himself.

He then unshackled her and threw her in a cage where she suffered an epileptic episode. Rather than treating her, Smith doused her with a bucket of water and said "moderation is for cowards," court documents say.

The woman told police there were at least four other incidents where Smith beat her until he threw up or passed out from exhaustion but had trouble pinpointing them exactly as the memories "ran together."

Though these incidents were violent, the woman told police Smith never raped her or masturbated in front of her, documents say. She said the sex they did have was consensual and non-violent.

Escaping from Smith

The woman told police that Smith would "switch from sweet to intolerable without warning," and she decided to leave, court records say. But she put her escape plan on hold after Smith became "somewhat less violent" with her, and she tried making their relationship work.

But she abandoned that effort after a few more bad experiences with him.

When she announced to Smith that she was leaving him, he told her to leave but refused unlock a door to let her out, documents say. She eventually found a key to the home's back gate without Smith's knowledge.

Court documents reveal that the woman then contacted the daughter of one of Smith's business partners who had lived in the house in her own bedroom earlier this year but was fearful of Smith. The victim was able to get her cell phone on May 5 and call the woman who had lived in the house, and arranged to be picked up nearby.

Documents say the two ate at a local Waffle House where the daughter of Smith's business partner revealed she had taped sounds she had heard the evening of March 3, which the other woman identified as herself. The two then went to the police and shared their experiences.

The woman who was beaten showed officers pictures of her injuries, which they deemed "consistent with being hit with blunt objects."

Smith denied the allegations

Investigators found text messages on the woman's phone, where she confronted Smith about her injuries and her need to have money and be allowed to leave the house, records say.

Investigators say Smith didn't admit to being involved and denied it via text message.

Police arrested Smith on May 8 shortly after he was seen leaving his home with the woman he was suspected of abusing. It's unclear how or why the woman was with Smith that day.

Police booked Smith into a Maricopa County Jail on charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault. He was ordered held on $250,000 bond, court records show. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wednesday afternoon Smith was out of jail.

His next scheduled court appearance is May 16 at 8:30 a.m. in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.