Lakewood police said 28-year-old Anthony Garver and 58-year-old Mark Alexander Adams escaped from Western State Hospital sometime Wednesday evening.
Advertisement
Garver, 28, escaped from a psychiatric hospital across the state in Lakewood on Wednesday night.
Kathy Spears of the Washington Department of Social and Health Services expects to have an update Saturday afternoon about what will happen next to Garver, who was hiding in the woods near his family home around 8:15 p.m. Friday. The missing patient, whose identity hasn’t been released, was committed to the hospital after facing charges of burglary and violating a no-contact order.
On Wednesday, two patients escaped after being moved from the criminal section of the hospital to the civil commitment ward.
A man accused of torturing a 20-year-old woman to death in 2013 was recaptured Friday night after a two-day, cross-state manhunt that some anxious would not end peacefully.
“The hospital has restricted patient-earned privileges that allow them escorted and unescorted access to Western State Hospital grounds and off-campus excursions throughout the weekend as the hospital increases its security measures”, the statement said.
Anthony Garver, who was considered risky, was found Friday in the woods near his parents’ residence in the Spokane Valley area. “I’m glad it didn’t”, said spokesman Mark Gregory of the Spokane sheriff’s office.
The two human officers did their job, but Gunnar was the key to capturing Garver without any injuries, Gregory said Saturday.
An official at the Washington Department of Corrections says all the agencies will continue to work together to figure out what the next steps will be.
State and local authorities had dispatched a helicopter and search teams to hunt for Garver, who was being held at the state psychiatric facility after he was found not competent to stand trial for first-degree murder in 2013, police said.
USA regulators already were investigating a recent violent attack on a hospital worker and a patient-on-patient sexual assault at Western State Hospital.
Gov. Jay Inslee expressed concern about the way the hospital is being operated Saturday, and said he expected swift action to make changes to prevent future incidents.
Reyes, of the Behavioral Health Administration, said a safety review is being conducted and outside experts will be brought in to help. “This raises serious questions once again about the management and operation of this troubled hospital”.
The escapes intensified federal scrutiny on the hospital, Washington’s largest psychiatric facility. Prosecutors said he tied her with electrical cords, stabbed her 24 times and slashed her throat.
Adams was captured in Des Moines on Thursday, and Garver was seen on surveillance video buying a bus ticket to Spokane.
The facility has been cited several times by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for safety risks, and has been warned that they could lose millions in federal funding, according to the Associated Press. His father called authorities to report his son had visited him briefly on Thursday. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
Advertisement
Be proactive – Use the “Flag as Inappropriate” link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
