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Crisis Center escapee still missing Saturday

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BY ZACH PLUHACEK / Lincoln Journal Star

Saturday, Jul 05, 2008 - 09:27:18 pm CDT

Police said Saturday that the Crisis Center patient who escaped from the facility Friday may turn himself in.

Patrick Carey — a 22-year-old Lancaster County Jail inmate — was being treated at the Crisis Center, 2201 S. 17th St., and ran away as a fire alarm sounded at about 9 a.m. Friday.

Family told Lincoln police Saturday they were trying to persuade Carey to turn himself in before officers find him, Sgt. Tom Hamm said.

Story Photo
Patrick Carey

The Crisis Center, on the second floor of the Lancaster County Community Mental Health Center, is a secured psychiatric facility for “acutely mentally ill” detainees, according to the Mental Health Center Web site.

Dean Settle, executive director of the Mental Health Center, said a patients have to be mentally ill and considered a danger to themselves or others to be admitted to the Crisis Center.

Lancaster County Corrections Director Mike Thurber said Carey spent the night at the Crisis Center Thursday after having a medical emergency earlier that day.

Inmates treated at the Crisis Center have “a hold placed on them” at the jail, Thurber said. “While at the Crisis Center, they would not be watched or be observed by my staff or by the department staff.”

Settle has asked the staff of the Crisis Center to compile an incident report, so he and other officials can review protocol.

He said staff at the Crisis Center got permission from jail staff to remove Carey from the building  when the alarm sounded. A faulty smoke head triggered the alarm.

“From that point, my understanding is the staff then proceeded to take everyone ... to the parking lot immediately outside the building,”  Settle said. “Even though it’s a holiday, we were fully staffed.”

There were at least five employees there, he said, and about 13 patients. None of the staff at the facility are armed, and Carey was not wearing shackles.

Carey took off running as soon as he was out the door, Settle said.

He fled the center wearing a white shirt and blue scrub pants, Police Capt. Dennis Duckworth said.  Carey is described as 5 foot 7 inches tall, about 125 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

He was serving 12 months for third-degree sexual assault after he fondled a 17-year-old girl in March 2007.  He received the maximum sentence for the charge.

“We’re telling our officers to consider him potentially dangerous,” Capt. Terrence Sherrill said.

Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7306 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.


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WHY wrote on July 4, 2008 6:04 pm:
" Why would he not be moved to the suucide watch room at the jail instead of the crisis center, which is NOT jail related??? That's ridiculous and if he does more crime or harms others while on the run it's on the Jail administrations hands.... "

 In response to Whys question wrote on July 4, 2008 8:05 pm:
" In response to Why's question: If an inmate needs medical/psychiatric stabilization in order to be safely housed in the jail, he or she will be transferred to the crisis center for said stabilization, then returned to jail. This actually seems like an error on the part of the crisis center, who allowed him to escape. "

 Survived the Crisis Center wrote on July 4, 2008 10:58 pm:
" The Crisis Center takes violent offenders, as well as persons who have been deemed a risk to themselves, mixes them together, with no separation of men and women. For those of us who have been forced to stay there in the throes of depression this creates an incredibly unsafe environment. During my stay many of the women (mostly there for depression and suicide attempts) were threatened and harassed by a very violent young man. The Crisis Center and Nebraska's EPC policy represent outdated and potentially harmful mental health practice. "

 Pro-crisis center wrote on July 4, 2008 11:23 pm:
" The crisis center was formed as a way to securely assess and stabilize adults who are mentally ill and dangerous to themselves or others or unable to care for themselves because of their mental illness. Prior to the center, jail or more expensive hospitalization were the only options for people who required a secure setting. Southeast Nebraska is lucky to have such a progressive program here - it has saved many lives over the 19 years of its operation. "

 survived wrote on July 5, 2008 1:13 am:
" i see the now the crazies are jumping on the band wagon with the outlaw convicts complaining about about housing conditions when will this pampering stop ??? "

 wrote on July 5, 2008 8:40 am:
" Here is what we can do! When the new jail is opened up why don't we take the existing jail and house all the mentally ill from the crisis center, the regional center and also the detox people and have all of them in a SECURE facility??? I will bet it could be full. And it could be alot safer for the staffs of these other facilities. Just a thought. And it might save us some tax money?? Here is another side note why don't you actually check to see if there is a FIRE before taking all of these people OUTSIDE the secure area??? "

 In Other Words wrote on July 5, 2008 2:12 pm:
" What he's telling us by his actions is that he needs to get his 5-7 125 lb self put in the state pen. "

 Fire alarm for Mr Settle wrote on July 5, 2008 9:58 pm:
" Well Dean, it's a fine run machine you have there. Hope the fire alarm and evacuation procedure is being re-written. Good Lord Almighty! Makes a body feel downright unsafe to know our mental health system is so poorly run. "

 Mark wrote on July 5, 2008 10:33 pm:
" Remember the old saying, "The buck stops here,"? Who is going to take responsibility for this??? From what information we've been given in the Journal Star, SOMEBODY at the Crisis Center IS RESPONSIBLE. Since it happened there then I think the director of the C.C. needs to step up, take the heat, and make appropriate personnel and procedural changes and while he or she is at it, he/she might hope and pray this escapee doesn't hurt anyone else. "

 Why not jail wrote on July 5, 2008 11:07 pm:
" Haaving a mental illness is not a crime. You cannot jail a person simply because he/she has an illness The vast majority of Crisis Center patients are there because they are suicidal -- not homocidal. In fact, the mentally ill are far more likely to be crime victims than criminals. It's really a shame that most people have little or no knowledge about mental health until a problem strikes a member of their own family. "

 Bigger picture wrote on July 6, 2008 6:11 am:
" I think that the bigger picture is being missed here. The Crisis Center does good work, however the process for inmates failed. One telling line in the entire article says it all.
"Inmates treated at the Crisis Center have “a hold placed on them” at the jail, Thurber said. “While at the Crisis Center, they would not be watched or be observed by my staff or by the department staff.”
IF they were hospitalized for a medical condition not treatable at the jail, or if they have an appointment with a specialist, they ARE monitored by Corrections officials. Why on earth would a mental illness be treated any differently?
Perhaps rather than blaming the Crisis Center, we need to look at the bigger picture here. Why was this inmate who was judged and found guilty not monitored by the people WE pay to watch over him? "

 Sean wrote on July 6, 2008 9:33 am:
" No shackles eh? Well, unless he get's caught by one of the LPD radar traps we are not likely to see him again in the near future. "

 unknown wrote on July 6, 2008 9:40 am:
" In reponse to "Other Words", he DOES NOT need to be put in the state pen. He obviously has some mental issues that needs to be addressed. The penal systems has not given him the help that he needs. What is the regional center for? Is that not a secured invironment? And one should not judge one from actions. Has this person even been convicted of a violent crime? How can they say he is dangerous if that is not the case? The media really loves to blow things out of proportion. "

 Indeed wrote on July 6, 2008 9:45 am:
" Firstly, you don't go to the Crisis Center because you are actively seeking help. You go there when you are a danger to yourself or another and REFUSE voluntary treatment. However, someone who doesn't want to be in jail might want to be in the Crisis Center because well, let's face it, most people who are in jail don't want to be there so they do or say something that will get them out of jail. That's all fine because I'm sure there are some genuinely mentally ill persons in jail, but this guy must have had an agenda. He knew it would be easier to escape from the Crisis Center. The reality is that most facilities, locked or otherwise, are not as secure as a jail. As far as remaking the fire alarm policy, I'm pretty sure you have to get people out of a building that could be burning, not tell everyone to "Wait right there, we have to make sure there could be a fire that will burn you all up" before seeking safety. The Crisis Center, most of the time, is a model program that other parts of the state should consider adopting. It has been a great value to southeast Nebraska for many years and despite a few bitter customers, should continue to operate and help people for years to come. "

 No wonder wrote on July 6, 2008 12:00 pm:
" It's no wonder that many arrestees try and get themselves EPC'd to the crisis center upon entering the jail! They are basicaly unwatched, unsupervised and get to part take in fire drills outside! "

 rumble grumble gurgle roar wrote on July 6, 2008 9:40 pm:
" so..if the family is trying to convince this guy to turn himself in...can't they take a minute and let the police know where he is? "

 KC wrote on July 7, 2008 8:30 am:
" What I think is the saddest part of all of this, is that 12 months is the MAXIMUM they could give him for 3rd degree sexual assault(on a chld!). Its amazing how messed up our laws are when it comes to crimes against kids! "

 Roger wrote on July 7, 2008 9:37 am:
" The questions remain-- Why are we placing sexual and violent offenders in the same facility with women who have been attacted and violated, minors and non-violent people we don't know how to deal with humanely? How does criminalizing and stigmatizing an illness do anything other then perpetuate the disease and the drain on our very limited resources? Most mental illness is as treatable as diabetes or other long-term diseases. In some cases it is equally as curable.

The crisis center is an extremely unplesant and outdate facility representing the very lack of compassion of those who call those forced to be there "Crazy".

This is far from the first time that violent offenders and perpetrators of sexual assult have been thrown together with people in the holding pen called the Crisis Center. And it won't be the last as long as the facilities and the policies are as outdated and punative as the "sane" people on the outside. "

 who cares wrote on July 7, 2008 12:32 pm:
" What does it matter what his actual crime is, or whether it was unjust, the police and crisis center messed up. All the readers understand it she was 17 and FONDLED!!!! Yes 12 months is all he should get, why, because it wasn't sex. The real question is why is the only person being blamed for there mistakes, and not the people who made the biggest, the authorities? "

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