Spokane7
50°
September 19, 2009 in City
Inmate-tracking team helping search for Paul
Phillip A. Paul poses for a portrait in downtown Spokane in 2008, when he was living at The Carlyle.
(Full-size photo)
An Inmate Recovery Team from the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla has joined the search for Eastern State Hospital patient Phillip A. Paul, who has been missing since he walked away Thursday from a group attending the Spokane County Fair.
Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan said the penitentiary offered the team’s assistance Friday. Members were briefed Saturday morning, and started “doing what they do best,” he said.
Reagan said Paul, who has been in and out of treatment since killing a Yakima woman in 1987, may have planned his escape.
Paul left little clothing behind in his hospital room, and was carrying a backpack during the field trip, an annual event Paul could easily have anticipated.
“It’s reasonable to assume he has changed his appearance” given the changes in clothes Paul was carrying, Reagan said.
Although he said Paul had probably left the county, Reagan added that deputies are finding Paul had several Spokane contacts. There is a possibility Paul could be hunkered down somewhere, he said.
The department is receiving six to 12 calls an hour reporting sightings, but few timely enough to be of use, Reagan said.
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Michigas on September 19 at 3:48 p.m.
O’k…let me get this straight. What you’re telling us is that there is now a ‘criminally insane murderer’ running loose in our community, because someone in authority, (and we do not know who that someone is, but I think it would be a good idea to find out), decided that this character would probably benefit from an ‘outing’ at the county fair. And now, that same criminally insane murderer is out and running free. Am I correct in this?
Then it stands to reason whoever authorized the trip is more crazy than the clown who got loose. Someone had better receive a good a** kicking over this.
piwacket5 on September 19 at 4:25 p.m.
Anyone ever heard the expression “Crazy like a fox” ? Methinks something is afoul in the state of Washington.
schleufer on September 19 at 4:50 p.m.
right from the front page of the eastern state hospital. looks to me like he read this and followed through on alot of them.
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/mentalhealth/esh.shtml
Core Values Recovery Principles
•Empowerment of patients
•Hope
•Empowerment of staff to assist patients in their recovery
•Self management and autonomy
•Recognition and acceptance of change
•Dignity and self respect
•Flexibility
•Tolerance and forgiveness
•Individualized care
•Adaptability and capacity to change
•Safety
•Personal responsibility and productivity
•Recovery
•Peer support and community life
•Partnerships with community providers, family and friends
•Acceptance and self awareness
•Accessibility and integration of services
Downanddirty on September 19 at 5:14 p.m.
I just don’t understand it. This poor fellow was found not guilty by reason of insanity, so he is not a convicted killer.
I don’t believe he has killed anyone since his bad choice in 1987. 20 years ago. So why shouldn’t he be free to roam the fairgrounds. As for escape, I feel that he wasn’t in custody and just wondered off. Maybe he was mistreated last time he walked away from his home and the deputy who was booking him wasn’t very nice. I read the story, he not a bad fellow, just misunderstood.
cwiseazcougfan on September 19 at 5:21 p.m.
I totally agree with what michigas said. Really, I could not have said it better myself.
Someone needs their a** kicked.
sternfan on September 19 at 5:38 p.m.
Darlen Wagner…. YOU ARE HOT!!!!!!!
HamstersTwinkleInHeaven on September 19 at 8:29 p.m.
Darlene you could play a cheerleader in my horror movie in which a former junior college wrestler turned psycho killer escapes on an outing to a county fair while the staff were buying the patients some elephant ears and meatballs on a stick. But you would have to be able to scream really loud and be able to poke the crazed killer in the eyes with a jagged ponderosa pine branch.
Let me know if you are interested, my email is hamsterstwinkleinheaven@gmail.com
Bob_Knows on September 21 at 6:25 a.m.
I’ve never seen such a massive waste of taxpayer money. Sheriff Knucklebitch wasted thousands of dollars for overtime, helicopters, and other nonsense when a couple of deputies were all that was needed. Its like a scene from “Alice’s Restaurant,” and they all wanted to use up all the cop equipment and rake in the overtime pay.
Likewise the local TV talking heads jumped all over it because its the biggest story of the past 6 months. TV talking heads have been falling like dry leaves recently and the rest are competing to be the most hysterical ranter on the screen.
As for Paul, his crime was decades ago when he was young. He hasn’t been a real threat in decades. Its the classic tempest in a teapot, and all at our expense.
As a citizen concerned about fraud, waste, and abuse of tax money, I am angry that our elected officials wasted so much of OUR money on such trivia. Their budgets are clearly way over funded.
“Any government that takes 1/10 of a man’s wealth, in total of all taxes, is tyranny and should be overthrown,” The Continental Congress, 1776.
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