It's hard work to break out of prison, which makes knocking on the wrong door--to get yourself caught--a sorry mistake. A guy busts out of the Washington State Penitentiary, loose for a day before knocking on a cabin door to use a phone. The man renting that cabin was an off-duty guard from the Pen--but don't think that doesn't mean the inmate didn't escape a second time.
39-year-old James Edward Russell had broken out of the Washington penitentiary where he'd been an inmate -- and was still wearing his prison uniform, so immediate credit does not go to any prison employee for "recognizing" the situation.
The inmate may have been better off naked than wandering around in prison garb.
While the inmate had knocked with hopes of using a phone, it's unclear what response he was hoping to receive while dressed in a jumpsuit.
The Washington State Penitentiary should be shamed by what ensued: the (should-be) inmate not only managed to break out of the prison already, but wasn't even caught by a penitentiary guard on the second round -- after arriving, literally, on a guard's doorstep. Russell wasn't the most violent of criminals: He was serving time at the penitentiary for forgery and theft. After a scuffle between the off-duty guard and Russell, the inmate escaped that guard too, to be on the loose again.
Not surprisingly, the guard's name is being withheld by authorities. And there may be a guard looking for a new position shortly.
Russell was eventually caught by law enforcement a few hours later.
For anyone headed to prison, there's probably a first-choice destination among criminals.