Inmate who escaped is back in custody

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YAKIMA -- An inmate who walked away from the state's West Valley work-release center is back behind bars thanks to help from the Yakima County Violent Crime Task Force.

Billy Eugene Garner, who was convicted in 2007 for vehicular homicide in Spokane, was caught Wednesday in Ritzville after police and sheriff's deputies found him at a motel, task force officials said.

Task force investigators had learned that Garner fled to Ritzville with his brother, according to a news release issued Thursday.

Garner, 49, was serving the last six months of his 41-month sentence on the work-release side of the Ahtanum View Correctional Complex. He had most recently been confined to the prison on the same property on 64th Avenue near Occidental Avenue.

He was given a pass to go to a local store on Saturday, said Maria Peterson, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections.

When he didn't return, an alert was issued to law enforcement agencies.

Instead of being released in November, he is now expected to face felony escape charges.



Commentsicon2
Posted by Nick at 05/29/09 06:17AM        Post ID#: #4293

Last six months? Stupidity reigns. Now he will get added time in a more secure facility.

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Posted by skinnymulligan at 05/29/09 08:30AM        Post ID#: #4308

He was given a pass to go to a local store??

That's funny, I could have sworn I read somewhere in that article that he had killed somebody and was serving a sentence for that. Way to crack down!

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Posted by isitfriday at 05/31/09 12:24PM        Post ID#: #4357

How on earth does someone who commits a homicide EVER qualify for a pass to go to the store while serving their sentence?!

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