Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Man who escaped Oregon hospital while shackled and had to be rescued from muddy pond sentenced

A man who escaped from Oregon's state psychiatric hospital while fully shackled and was later found floundering in a muddy pond has been sentenced to 22 years in prison

Via AP news wire
Tuesday 04 June 2024 21:49 BST
Shackled Hospital Escapee Sentenced
Shackled Hospital Escapee Sentenced

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A man who escaped from Oregon’s state psychiatric hospital while fully shackled and was later found floundering in a muddy pond was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office announced it had reached a plea deal with Christopher Pray, who pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of attempted murder, first-degree manslaughter, robbery and assault in separate incidents. He was sentenced to a total of 22 years for incidents that took place between 2022 and 2024.

Pray’s defense attorney on Tuesday did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Last August, Pray escaped the Oregon State Hospital in Salem. Restrained with leg shackles, a belly chain and handcuffs, Pray moved into the driver’s seat of a van he was being transported in when the driver was outside the vehicle and drove away, police said.

The following day, authorities rescued him from a muddy pond in Portland and took him back into custody.

An ensuing federal investigation found that the hospital failed to adequately supervise and transport him.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in