‘Fast-Moving’ Escaped Inmate From Oregon State Pen Chased by Authorities

An inmate who climbed the fence at the Oregon Deer Ridge Correctional Center near Madras has apparently covered a lot of ground.

Oregon Department of Corrections officials say 31-year-old Clinton Orvill Swearingen was spotted near Mill City, a small community about 30-35 miles West of Salem.

Last Sunday, May 4th he came up missing during a prisoner head-count at 10:15pm. Surveillance footage showed him climbing a razor-wire fence around 9:20pm earlier  that evening.

Citizens near reportedly saw him driving a truck near Mill City about 4 a.m. Thursday.   Swearingen was serving a sentence on 5 total counts of burglary, theft, and unauthorized use of a vehicle.   He was slated for release in 2017.  Because Mill City is over125 miles from Madras,  officials say it's likely he traveled in a stolen or possibly borrowed vehicle.  Authorities didn't say if there appeared to be any accomplices helping him on the "outside."

Anyone with information regarding Swearingen's whereabouts is asked to call Oregon State Police at 1-800-452-7888.

Deer Ridge is a medium-security facility with nearly 2,000 inmates, located  4 miles East of Madras, OR.