MONROE — The Monroe Correctional Complex plans to add more razor wire to a 15-foot fence at its minimum-security unit and may step up security following the escape of an inmate.
Police are still searching for Jeff Rean, 19, who scaled the fence Friday and apparently used clothing to pull away the razor wire at the top, prison spokeswoman Jane McKenzie said.
Rean, who was serving a 3 1/2-year-sentence for second-degree assault, was the 16th person to escape from the complex in five years, according to the state Department of Corrections. Ten of those inmates were recaptured.
The complex has the second highest number of escapes in the state, according to the corrections department. It’s topped only by Larch Corrections Center, a minimum-security facility in Clark County, that had 20 escapes. Eighteen of those inmates were caught.
Fourteen of the inmates who escaped from Monroe were kept in the prison’s minimum-security unit, according to the state.
Of those, 11 fled in 1999 and 2000, most from the prison’s dairy farm, McKenzie said. The farm was closed in August 2001 for financial and security reasons, she said.
"Security is improving and after this (escape) security will continue to improve," McKenzie said. "We’ll look at all security measures we need to work on."
The section of fence that Rean climbed over is in the back of the minimum-security unit in an area that’s not well-lit, she said. The prison will consider adding more lights there.
Inmates are also required to return to their dorms by 9:30 every night, she said. Previously, they were allowed to stay out later on weekends and holidays.
Rean was moved to Monroe in April from the Clallam Bay Corrections Center in Clallam County. He was convicted in 2002 of assaulting a fellow inmate at a juvenile detention center in Chehalis and has a history of assaults, McKenzie said.
He was last seen before 10 p.m. near the inmate dorms and was confirmed missing at a midnight count, she said.
"We’re still working on leads and trying to find him," McKenzie said, adding that nearby residents were notified that Rean was missing.
She acknowledged that the longer Rean evades police the harder it will be to catch him. The prison’s escape teams ceased searching surrounding areas Monday after checking out all reported sightings and leads.
The complex in Monroe is the largest in the state and houses 2,370 inmates at its four facilities — the Washington State Reformatory, special offenders unit, Twin Rivers unit and minimum-security unit.
McKenzie said inmates are selected for the 415-person minimum-security unit based on behavior and criminal history.
"We don’t have them often, but on occasion there are escapes," state Department of Corrections spokeswoman Mary Christensen said. "Looking at (Monroe’s) figures, you can see they’ve made some improvements."
Monroe Mayor Donnetta Walser said she’s always concerned when an inmate escapes, but said the numbers don’t surprise her because the complex is the largest in the state.
"My biggest concern is that there’s good communication with law enforcement … when someone does escape, as well as community awareness," she said.
Monroe police are working with the prison to improve communication, she said.
"We’ve done OK, but we could do better," Walser said.
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.
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