Inmates who escaped Cedar Creek are found in Capitol Forest

Two inmates who escaped from Cedar Creek Corrections Center near Littlerock Saturday night were found just before 5 p.m. Sunday in Capitol Forest, a state Department of Corrections spokesman said.

Jeremy Barclay said the two men were apprehended without incident about 6 miles north of Cedar Creek in Capitol Forest. The two men, Richard Harvell, 30, and Sage Cree Bear, 26, will now be taken to a state correctional facility in the area for processing, Barclay said. They also need to be treated for some minor medical injuries related to their escape.

Barclay declined to name the other facility so that there are “no intercepts,” he said.

The two men climbed over a 10-foot chain link fence topped with razor wire about 9:40 p.m. Saturday, said corrections spokeswoman Pam Moore earlier on Sunday. There is an area at the center, separate from a designated recreation area, where inmates are allowed to step outside. From there, the distance to the fence line was “around the corner,” she said.

About 10 people with corrections searched for the two in an area between Capitol Forest and Littlerock, she said.

They also notified the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol. Corrections staff distributed fliers about the escape and stationed people at Capitol Forest to notify hikers.

According to a news release:

Harvell was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm out of Snohomish County and began serving his 44-month sentence on March 15.

His expected release date had been tentatively set for March 19, 2019.

Bear was convicted of manslaughter 1 out of King County and began serving his 130-month sentence on Jan. 27, 2009. His expected release date had been tentatively set for July 9, 2018.

Cedar Creek Corrections Center houses about 480 minimum custody male inmates.

This story was originally published June 11, 2017 at 9:45 AM with the headline "Inmates who escaped Cedar Creek are found in Capitol Forest."