Deer Ridge inmate work crew walkaway caught at Portland motel

A Deer Ridge Correctional Institution inmate who walked away from an inmate work crew near Sisters on Thursday was apprehended at a southeast Portland motel Friday afternoon, thanks to an anonymous tip, officials said.

Around 1:35 p.m., members of the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force investigated an anonymous tip at the Ramada Inn near Southeast 99th and Stark Avenue in Portland and located Richard Phillip Clark, 29, who sheriff’s deputies said was taken into custody without incident.

The task force had posted a note by Twitter that it had apprehended Clark, with hashtags including “#goodguyswin.”

The state Department of Corrections said Clark had been booked into the Multnomah County Jail.

DRCI staff discovered inmate Clark missing around 1:45 p.m. Thursday.

Deer Ridge Correctional spokeswoman Michelle Simmelink-Rask said Friday the inmate work crew was working in the Black Butte Ranch area when Clark escaped.

“They were involved in a work project, and that is very common to have one, two or even three crews out this time of year, doing debris clearing or fire reduction,” she said.

Clark entered state custody on March 31 on two counts of second-degree attempted robbery out of Washington County. His earliest release date was to be June 11, 2019.

The Portland Tribune reported that Clark and another Bend resident, Olivia Mtheny, 21, were arrested in late November after a Tigard robbery and getaway that led police on a chase through several counties.

Police agency logs said he walked into the Washington Square mall Macy’s on Saturday night, Nov. 28, threatened employees that he had a gun and demanded cash. He allegedly assaulted a security guard before fleeing.

DRCI is a multi-custody facility located four miles east of Madras that currently houses approximately 750 minimum-security men in custody. The facility provides a range of correctional programs and services including education, drug and alcohol treatment, mental health treatment, cognitive programs, and inmate work crews.

Deer Ridge officials said this is the second time an inmate has escaped from a work crew site.

Simmelink-Rask said this isn’t common for their facility and they will be looking at changing some policies.

Clark was booked into the Multnomah County jail and faces additional charges for leaving the work crew.