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

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — 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 Monday it had reached a plea deal with Christopher Pray, who pleaded guilty 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.