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Sheriff's Office searching for Western State escapee in Spokane Valley

One of the two men who escaped from Western State Hospital remains at large after the other was taken into custody Thursday morning.   

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Authorities continue to search for Anthony Garver. Police said he purchased a Greyhound Bus ticket out of Seattle to Spokane at about 8:50 p.m. Wednesday.

KHQ-TV reports that the Spokane County Sheriff's Office is searching for Garver in the Spokane Valley. They did not locate Garver Thursday night but will continue to search.

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich described the search as "a pretty intense situation."
A Pierce Transit bus driver told police he may have picked up both of the escaped men at different times Wednesday night and taken them them to the Lakewood Towne Center Transit Center. Lakewood police confirmed that one of the men, Mark Alexander Adams, took a bus to Federal Way and had asked how to get to the airport.

Adams was later arrested Thursday morning after a woman outside the Des Moines Gospel Chapel recognized him and called police.

According to Lakewood police, Adams and Garver were last seen in the hospital's dining hall at 6 p.m. Wednesday. They were discovered missing at 7:30 p.m. Western State is an inpatient psychiatric hospital.

"The hospital is undergoing a complete safety review and plan to bring in outside experts to go through our facility," said Carla Reyes, assistant director DSHS Behavioral Health Administration.  "We can never have too many fresh eyes reviewing a situation as serious as this. As always, safety – for the public, staff and other patients – remains a priority."

Police believe they escaped through a loose window in their room.

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The Department of Social and Health Services, which operates the hospital, said it is not aware of any previous incidents of a patient escaping through a key-locked window.  The agency said there was no indication yet that the window or its locks were defective, but it was possible that the bolts on the window were tampered with over several months.

Garver, the much more violent of the two men, remains at large.

A Pierce Transit bus driver told police Garver may have been picked up near the hospital around 6 p.m.  Wednesday and went eastbound. He may have gotten off at the Lakewood Towne Center Transit Center.

Garver, 28, is described as white, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, 250 pounds with long curly brown hair and a beard/mustache. He was last seen wearing a brown faded sweatshirt and orange jail flip flops. Though the man goes by Garver, he may use the last name of Burke and also has an alias of Deryk Garver, police said.

Garver was arrested for first-degree murder in 2013 in the death of  Phillipa Evans-Lopez.

Police say he used electric cords to tie the victim to her bed. She was stabbed more than 24 times and her throat was slit at her Lake Stevens Home.

Garver was found not competent to stand trail.

Authorities said Adams was sent to the hospital to receive treatment on a second-degree domestic violence assault arrest in 2014. He also was found not competent to stand trail.

Authorities notified local police agencies, Amtrak, cab companies, Greyhound and Pierce Transit about the escapees.

Anyone who sees Garver should not attempt to contact him and call 911.

Federal authorities say Western State is seriously understaffed and threatened to take away millions in funding because of staffing issues. The facility recently had about 300 vacancies because of high turnover.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.