1 of 2 Western State escapees arrested at Wash. church


One of two men who escaped from Western State Hospital has been taken into custody at a Des Moines church Thursday morning after he was seen on video taking a bus to Federal Way.

A Pierce Transit bus driver told police he may have picked up both 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 after a woman outside the Des Moines Gospel Church recognized him and called police.

According to Lakewood police, Adams and Anthony 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.

>> Read more trending stories  

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

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 Garver 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.

The King County Sheriff's Office chopper, Guardian One, assisted in the search for the men Wednesday night, but they were not found. Authorities notified local police agencies, Amtrak, cab companies, Greyhound and Pierce Transit about the escapees.

"They got a considerable head start …so all we can really do is let the investigators do some follow up to try and find them," said Lakewood Police Department Lt. Chris Lawler.

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.

About the Author