SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. – The Washington State Patrol confirmed Friday night that Western State Hospital escapee Anthony Garver, 28, was in custody.
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said Garver was found under a pile of debris in a wooded area near his parents residence near East Judkins Road around 8:15 p.m.
Sergeant Jack Rosenthal and Deputy Jason Hunt and his partner K9 Gunnar tracked Garver in the search area. Deputies said Garver was taken into custody without incident.
Anthony #Garver Captured. Great Work Dep. Hunt, K9 Gunnar & Sgt Rosenthal #SCSO #Spokane https://t.co/kwDB5oUBSZ pic.twitter.com/uTv53TMtcS
— SpokaneSheriffOffice (@SCSO_MarkG) April 9, 2016
"It was good old fashioned police work tonight that led to the capture of Mr. Garver," Knezovich said.
Garver had been on the run since Wednesday when he and Mark Alexander Adams escaped from the Western State Hospital. Adams was captured in Des Moines on Thursday, and Garver was seen on surveillance video buying a bus ticket to Spokane.
Spokane County Sheriff's Office Deputies & K9 CAPTURE Anthony #Garver. #SCSO Spokane pic.twitter.com/RclxTjxfur
— SpokaneSheriffOffice (@SCSO_MarkG) April 9, 2016
Sheriff Knezovich said food and water was Garver's enemy.
"He is getting medical attention as he was very dehydrated," he said.
Knezovich would not go into detail about what Garver's eventual plans were because he said Garver still needed to be interviewed. Knezovich said Garver will be taken to Spokane County Jail after he receives treatment.
"We do know that when he contacted his mother and father at their residence, he asked for his passport as he was planning to go to Morroco."
Law enforcement extensively searched the area of E Macmahan Rd and E Offmy Ln. on Thursday night.
On Friday, patrols were back in the area.
Lakewood Police confirmed Garver purchased a ticket Wednesday at 8:50 p.m. on a Greyhound Bus out of Seattle to Spokane. They believe he bought the ticket under the alias of “John Anderson.”
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office believes Garver got to the Spokane Intermodal Center at 5:00 a.m. Thursday.
Garver was last seen around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday at this parents’ house north of Spokane Valley.
“He’s mentally ill, so he’s compromised, this individual. Just because he has mental illness, that’s kind of a fallacy on some people’s part. Mental illness does not equate to lack of intelligence, he’s very intelligent, as far as his ability within 11 hours to escape and be here,” said Sheriff Knezovich.
Garver’s parents told law enforcement that Garver stopped by the house and asked for his passport so he could travel to Morocco.
Sheriff Knezovich said that when Garver arrived at his parents’ home, his stepfather left the room and called 911.
“When his stepdad came back into the room, [Garver] said, ‘Well, I know what you did and that’s kind of futile,’” said Knezovich. After that, Garver left the home.
The Sheriff’s Office said they still do not know how Garver got from the train and bus depot to his parents’ home nearly 30 minutes away.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, U.S. Marshal, four K9 units and two helicopters searched the heavily wood and rugged area.
“That area is so dense that it basically wore out four K9’s yesterday and the SWAT team could barely move through some of that terrain very rapidly at all,” said Knezovich. “Matter of fact, some of it was put your head down and try to push through the weeds.”
Law enforcement has also gone door to door, passed out flyers and cleared outbuildings to make sure Garver is not there.