Californians are being told to be on the lookout for two potentially dangerous men who escaped custody at a Washington State mental hospital where both were being treated. As KRON 4 reports via CNN, 28-year-old Anthony Garver and 58-year-old Mark Alexander Adams were last seen in the dining hall of Western State Hospital in Lakewood, Washington, south of Tacoma at 6 p.m. Wednesday, and escaped sometime thereafter, possibly through a loose window in their room. As Lakewood police spokesman Chris Lawler told reporters, "They got a considerable head start," because they were not noticed to be missing for an hour and a half.
Fox affiliate Q13 reports that a bus driver in the area has told authorities that he may have separately picked up both men Wednesday evening, a couple of hours apart. Adams, he said, was interested in getting to SeaTac airport, and authorities say he may be headed to California.
Both men were committed to the facility just over a year ago, in February 2015, after both being found incompetent to stand trial in separate cases.
Garver, who's described as 5' 8", 250 pounds, with curly hair and a beard, was arrested in connection to the brutal murder of Phillipa Evans-Lopez, 20, in July 2013. She was found tied to a bed and stabbed two dozen times in a home in Lake Stevens, Washington on June 17, 2013.
Adams, who's described as having long blond hair and being 6', 210 pounds, was arrested in a second-degree assault/domestic violence case in 2014.
It's unclear how either man has any cash to travel with, but anyone who may see them is urged to call 911 and not approach or interact with them, as they are both considered dangerous.