April 30, 2024
A prisoner who escaped the Monroe Correctional Complex, a minimum security prison, was found and arrested Tuesday morning by local authorities after being on the run since Friday morning.
Staff members of the prison believed the prisoner, snuck into an office behind the cleaning crew and stole a staff member's car keys Friday.
He was able to drive away from the minimum security prison in a white four-door GMC Sierra truck. On Tuesday morning, before Clay was found and arrested, police found the truck in Seattle's Central District but still haven't found Clay.
He had a release date of December 24, 2025 for convictions from King County for counts of burglary, malicious mischief, harassment and theft.
According to a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections (DOC), Clay was only serving a two-year sentence at the facility.
"I know the number of escapes has gone down for sure, but they do still happen," DOC Spokesperson Chris Wright said acknowledging that this was the second prison escape in Washington within the past two years.
Wright stated when it comes to how exactly Clay was able to escape so easily, they will look at their protocols going forward.
Found on Mainstream Media