Oregon State Hospital Escapee Sentenced After Stealing State Vehicle During Getaway
Forty-one-year-old Christopher Lee Pray has added 57 months to his existing 22-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the theft of a state-owned vehicle to make his getaway from the Oregon State Hospital.
Pray, who appeared in court last Friday, was sentenced to 57 months for first-degree escape and the unauthorized use of a vehicle.
He will serve the sentence concurrently with an existing 22-year Multnomah County prison sentence for attempted murder and an attempted escape charge.
According to court documents, his escape from the Oregon State Hospital occurred on August 30, 2023, when he needed medical attention after becoming involved in a fight in the hospital’s cafeteria.
Two staff members escorted him to Salem Health, where he received medical attention for a lip injury requiring sutures.
On their return to the Oregon State Hospital, the two staff members climbed out of the vehicle to escort Pray back inside. When he unbuckled his safety belt, he jumped into the driver’s seat. With the keys still in the ignition, the prisoner took off in the state-owned vehicle.
He was found in the Portland area by first responders when he became stranded in a muddy area two days later.