NATIONAL BRIEFING / WASHINGTON STATE
Two days after an insane killer escaped from a field trip organized by his mental hospital, the union that represents mental hospital workers expressed concern about the type of patients allowed to participate in such outings.
Police continued to search for Phillip Arnold Paul, 47, who walked away from the Spokane County Fair during an outing Thursday with 30 other Eastern State Hospital patients. Paul had been committed after his acquittal by reason of insanity in the 1987 slaying of an elderly woman.
Patients must be cleared by a treatment team before they can go on trips. They wear street clothing and staff members are required to keep each patient within sight at all times.
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