Rice had been considered dangerous after investigators said he planned his escape from the hospital.
LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Authorities say a Clark County patient who escaped from Western State Hospital in Lakewood earlier this month has been captured and booked into the Pierce County Jail.
Joshua Dylan Rice was taken into custody by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning.
Rice had been the subject of a public warning after Clark County officials said he broke out of Western State at about 8 p.m. March 31.
He was being held there for a competency evaluation tied to pending first-degree robbery and motor vehicle theft charges in Clark County Superior Court.
Pierce County court records later show prosecutors charged him with second-degree escape.
According to court documents, hospital security staff showed officers video that appeared to show Rice kicking out fencing around the patio on Ward E, where he was housed.
Investigators wrote that he moved chairs to help support himself and then did push-ups, which they believed may have been an effort to distract from the damage.
Police wrote that the escape appeared to be planned.
Officers reported seeing damaged fencing, fresh broken tree limbs propped against an exterior fence and a loudspeaker hanging from a nearby pole outside the building.
The report said the yard faced Steilacoom Boulevard and did not have other barriers that would have prevented someone from fleeing.
Investigators also wrote that required patient checks were not followed.
According to the report, staff should have entered rooms during head counts to visually confirm patients, nursing staff were supposed to check patients every 15 minutes, and the staff were required to be present when a patient was on the patio.
Police said Rice appeared to have arranged his bedding to make it look like he was asleep.
When asked why staff did not enter Rice’s room to check if he was there, police were told that Rice told staff he did not like people entering his room.
Rice has a scheduled court appearance in Pierce County Superior Court Thursday afternoon.
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