Police: Woodstock Man Joseph Zoeck Tied Up Teen, Set Him on Fire

WOODSTOCK, Ga. - Woodstock police say they are searching for a 61-year-old man after the father of a Cherokee County boy says his son told police that the man tied him up and set his underwear on fire.

Police say Joseph Raymond Zoeck, known as J.R., is accused of offering the teen money in retu for certain acts. Investigators say the alleged incident happened at the Suburban Lodge in Woodstock in the oveight hours of July 10 and July 11. Police were called to Grady Memorial Hospital, where the victim was being treated, on July 12 to begin their investigation.

During the one of the alleged acts, police say the boy was bound, gagged, and set on fire.

FOX 5’s Doug Evans spoke with the 17-year-old boy’s father on Monday, and he says he is anxious for police to catch Zoeck.

Police say Zoeck is wanted on charges of aggravated battery, first-degree cruelty to children, false imprisonment, and solicitation of sodomy. He is described as a white man who is about 5’8 tall, 220 pounds and has brown eyes and grey hair. Investigators say Zoeck lived at the Suburban Lodge, but left the motel after the alleged incident.

Anyone with information about Zoeck’s whereabouts is asked to call the Woodstock Police Department at (770) 592-6030, or their tip line at (770) 592-6021.