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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels

FBI report details Henrikson escape attempt

James Henrikson and Bud Ray Brown appeared to be watching television during an incident at the Spokane County Jail in August authorities are referring to as an "escape attempt," according to an FBI report.

The report, which can be read in its entirety below, details an interview FBI Agent Michael G. Whitney conducted with the female corrections officer who discovered 100 feet of rope hanging from the cell belonging to Henrikson and Brown. Henrikson is facing multiple federal criminal counts for his alleged role in the deaths of Doug Carlile and Kristopher "K.C." Clarke; Brown has been charged in the gang-related 2012 death of David Deponte

FBI report on Spokane County Jail escape attempt, August 2015

In the report, the unnamed corrections officer says she was the only guard assigned to the wing where Henrikson and Brown were housed. She said she checked all cells at half-hour intervals and noticed that the pair appeared to be watching the floor's only television from their cell door.

She was first alerted to the rope hanging by the cell by radio after taking a break at 4:30 a.m., according to the FBI report. Prosecutors filed the report in court requesting that evidence of the alleged jail escape be introduced to a Richland jury when Henrikson's trial commences there early next month.  

The guard reported hearing no suspicious sounds from the cell. Prosecutors say that a broken broom handle was used to smash a narrow window, less than five inches in width. The broom handle then punctured the roof of a car in the jail parking lot, according to prosecutors.

Henrikson was back in custody of the Spokane County Jail earlier this week as part of pre-trial court hearings that occurred in Spokane. He's currently in custody of the Yakima County Jail.



Kip Hill
Kip Hill joined The Spokesman-Review in 2013. He currently is a reporter for the City Desk, covering the marijuana industry, local politics and breaking news. He previously hosted the newspaper's podcast.

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