A man who admitted to escaping from the Oregon State Hospital and stealing a state-owned vehicle has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison.
Christopher Lee Pray, 41, received a 57-month prison sentence last Friday for first-degree escape and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
According to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office, Pray will serve the sentence at the same time as a separate 22-year prison term tied to unrelated cases in Multnomah County, including attempted murder and another attempted escape charge.
According to court records, Pray escaped from the Oregon State Hospital on August 30, 2023, and stole a state-owned vehicle.
Officials said he had been transferred to the hospital earlier that day under a court order. After getting into a fight in the hospital cafeteria, Pray suffered a lip injury that required stitches, prompting two staff members to take him to Salem Health for treatment.
When they returned to the hospital, the staff members attempted to escort Pray back inside. Investigators said he suddenly unbuckled himself, jumped into the driver’s seat, and started the vehicle while the keys were still in the ignition.
“Pray accelerated, causing the staff member to be thrown from the vehicle and sustain minor injuries,” officials said.
First responders located Pray in the Portland area two days later after he became stranded in a muddy area.
“The Marion County District Attorney’s Office wishes to thank the Oregon State Police for their thorough investigative work,” officials said.
Court documents state that in March 2022, a woman was returning home from a play when a man later identified as Pray pulled up in an SUV and demanded her valuables. After she refused, police said Pray shot her in the stomach.
The woman was taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, where she was able to provide investigators with a description of her attacker. Pray was arrested the following month and later charged.
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