Monroe Prison Escapee Caught

Like Woodinville Patch on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our daily newsletter

Monroe prison escapee Brandon Musto was captured by a King County Sheriff’s K-9 team and TAC 30 (SWAT) members near North Bend Sunday night after they received a tip that he was hiding in the woods, according to the King County Sheriff's Office. Musto had been on the run since Wednesday.

The incident started about 4:30 p.m. Sunday when a man called police saying he saw a man he believed was Musto near the Rattlesnake Ridge trailhead around 2:25 p.m. The man told police that Musto asked to borrow his phone to call his mom, used his phone and then ran into the woods when he saw a car drive into the area.

Police checked the man’s phone and confirmed the number called did belong to Musto's mom. Police started a search of the area near the trailhead off Exit 27 of I-90. Just after 7 p.m., K-9 picked up a scent on a trail and around 7:40 p.m. search teams caught up with Musto as he ran and tried to hide but could not get away from the K-9 dog. Deputies took him into custody and walked him back to the trailhead.

Musto was transported via ambulance to a nearby hospital and was treated for a dog bite to his leg. 

Snohomish County Deputies took custody of Musto from King County Sheriff’s Deputies after his treatment. Musto was booked into the Snohomish County Jail.

Musto, 37, began his prison sentence on Sept. 23, 2011 after he was convicted of vehicular assault in Thurston County. He was scheduled to complete his prison sentence on Feb. 14, 2013.

The Seattle Times reports Musto turned up missing Wednesday evening at the minimum security unit. Musto apparently went over a fence, although officials are checking video as they investigate.

The Minimum security unit is one of five units at the prison complex at Monroe, 12 miles northeast of Woodinville. The unit houses about 460 minimum-custody offenders, all of whom are within four years of completing their prison sentence. The total offender population at Monroe is about 2,500 offenders, making it the second-largest prison in the state.