Additional information regarding the arrest of Phillip Paul was received from investigators in the Goldendale, Washington area Sunday evening.
According to Sergeant Bill Beeman, he and Detectives Roger Knight and Mark Renz were driving along the Goldendale-Bickelton Highway when they spotted a man walking out of the trees and toward the roadway. They had previous information that Paul had picked up a guitar, sleeping bag and leather jacket from a friend after he escaped from the Spokane Intestate Fair Thursday. The man they saw leaving the timber was carrying a guitar.
The three were in an undercover van with tinted windows, and they were able to drive right up to the suspect without him becoming alarmed. The three jumped out with their service pistols drawn and ordered Paul to the ground. He stated that he was “done” and complied with their commands. Beeman said the suspect had a hand scythe protruding from his backpack at the time of the arrest, but made no move to threaten the detectives with it.
Coincidentally, within minutes of the arrest Paul’s brother drove up on the detectives. They stopped him and asked him if he could tell them where they were so they could alert the other searchers that they had Paul in custody. They later learned that a Washington State Patrol was flying overhead at the time of the arrest, and that the arrest may have been captured on aerial video.
Beeman said Paul had duped a friend in Spokane into driving him to Goldendale to meet with his parents. For months he had been saying that he was going to be released from ESH, and on Thursday, the friend arrived home without having seen the newscasts regarding the escape.
Thinking Paul’s release had finally occurred, he gave the suspect the guitar and sleeping bag and drove him out of town. When he learned of the escape Saturday, he contacted detectives and went back with them to point out where he had dropped the suspect.
That information led to Paul’s arrest about 4:05 p.m. Sunday.
-rdr-