Yes, you read it right. It seems the criminally insane folks up in Washington are taken on field trips. How many degrees/common sense/experience would it take for you to realize that sending a mentally disturbed, known killer on a field trip is just not a good idea? I imagine with all the budget cuts occurring across the country, that many more people that should not be walking our streets will be released back into society. That’s kinda of what happens when folk decide they don’t want government intervention. I wonder how many tea baggers would like for this individual to live next door to them?
SPOKANE, Wash. — A criminally insane killer who escaped during a mental hospital field trip to a county fair remained on the run Friday, and furious residents and officials wondered why such a dangerous person was out in public.
Authorities believe Phillip Arnold Paul, 47, is heading to the Sunnyside, Wash., area, where his parents and many siblings live. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office used a helicopter to search Friday, and officers also searched transient camps along railroad tracks in the area. The public was urged to call 911.
“He is in a bad mental state,” his brother, Tom Paul, told The Associated Press. “Why would they load him on a bus and take him to a fair?”
That’s a question many are asking.
Authorities at Eastern State Hospital are being criticized for allowing Paul to visit the fair despite his violent criminal past and history of trying to escape. Spokane County Commissioner Mark Richard has called it unacceptable, and the state Department of Social and Health Services ordered an immediate end to such trips and launched an investigation into the practice.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/19/phillips-arnold-paul-insa_n_292135.html
Well, I do see the utility for taking mentally ill persons outside the hospitals environs for trips into the outside world. However, I do not see why they would include the criminally insane, as he is being described, on such a field trip. I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer but even I can see the potential for mayhem this might cause.
Who has to sign their permission slips for these field trips?
Hold on now…criminally insane? Youd think a phrase like that would be obsolete and replaced with some more PC sounding term. Since its not, I have to assume this dude is on some Hannibal Lecter type stuff, and I cant believe they let him out to play!
@ Max – I don’t have anything against the mentally ill getting out to play – being somewhat touched myself. I just don’t want the homicidal ones running lose. Whoever signed his permission slip needs to have a psychological evaluation and a career change.
@Thembi- yeah the phrase was strange wasn’t it. I just hope they locate Hannibal before he inflicts damage on some unsuspecting person.
Lord have mercy! ~smh~
I hope whomever’s bright idea this mess was is fired and punished severely! of course the mentally ill deserve some outside time BUT the CRIMINALLY INSANE is a whole different story. This dude should have never been allowed out.
having worked briefly with this population, these are not the kind of dudes that should be allowed any slack!
I’m sure someone somewhere is blaming this on Obama. This is ridiculous. I hope they catch him soon, he could be anywhere by now.
I heard the other day that he was caught. If memory serves me right the hospital admin resigned his position.
It seems the mentally ill are watching the stupid folks. All kinds of red flags should have triggered if they even bothered to take the time to check his file. SMDH