Policy- An 'extremely dangerous' murder suspect escaped from a psychiatric hospital in Oregon on Wednesday.
- He was discovered on Friday stuck in a muddy pond up to his armpits, where he had been trapped for 12 hours.
A murder suspect who escaped from a psychiatric hospital while fully shackled was found stuck in mud, authorities said.
Christopher Lee Pray, 39, escaped from the Oregon State Hospital in Salem on Wednesday and was branded "extremely dangerous" by police, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
Pray commandeered a staffer's car and led police on a high-speed car chase, all while being "fully restrained with leg shackles, a belly chain, handcuffs, and a restraint connecting all three together," police said, per CNN.
Police said that he was captured on Friday after emergency crews responded to a call about a possible dead body in a pond and found Pray alive and stuck in the mud up to his armpits, per OPB.
Portland Fire and Rescue said that Pray attempted to swim across the pond when he got stuck in the muddy water for about 12 hours. Emergency crews used ropes to pull him to solid ground.
Pray was taken to a medical center to be evaluated for injuries, where gave a fake name, but was soon recognized by a hospital worker, per OPB.
Hospital staff reported this to the police, who then came to arrest him.
Pray was originally arrested for several charges, including attempted aggravated murder and first-degree robbery relating to a 2022 attack on a woman in Multnomah County, The Oregonian reported. He has at least 16 prior felony convictions, the outlet said.