A Marion County judge has sentenced a man already serving a lengthy prison term to additional time after he escaped custody from the Oregon State Hospital and stole a state vehicle in 2023.
On Friday, May 22, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Courtland Geyer sentenced 41-year-old Christopher Lee Pray to 57 months in the Oregon Department of Corrections after Pray pleaded guilty to first-degree escape and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The sentence will run concurrently with a separate 22-year sentence Pray is currently serving in Multnomah County on unrelated charges.
The charges stem from an Aug. 30, 2023 incident involving the Oregon State Hospital in Salem. According to prosecutors, Pray had been transferred to the hospital earlier that day under a court order connected to pending Multnomah County proceedings.
Authorities said Pray became involved in an altercation with another patient while in the hospital cafeteria and suffered a lip injury requiring stitches. Two Oregon State Hospital employees transported him to Salem Health in a state-issued vehicle for treatment and remained with him during his care.
After treatment, as staff attempted to escort Pray back into the hospital, he allegedly unbuckled himself and jumped into the driver’s seat of the vehicle. Prosecutors said the key had been left in the ignition when a staff member stepped out to help Pray exit the vehicle.
Pray then accelerated, throwing one of the staff members from the vehicle and causing minor injuries, according to officials.
Law enforcement searched for Pray for two days before emergency responders located him stranded in a muddy area near Portland. He was then taken into custody.
Deputy District Attorney David Wilson prosecuted the case for the state. The Marion County District Attorney’s Office credited the Oregon State Police for conducting the investigation.
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