Oregon board to review status of man who once escaped from Pendleton

SALEM – The Oregon Psychiatric Review Board has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, Feb. 11 regarding the mental status of Thaddeus William Ziemlak, who was convicted of killing his mother in Eugene in 2004.

Ziemlak was in the care of a facility in Pendleton when he failed to return from an approved trip to Walmart and Safeway in 2020. He was the subject of a national hunt, but it was the Pendleton Police Department that tracked him down to California and had him brought into custody.

At the time of his escape, then Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts was sharply critical of the lack of communication with the state regarding the escape. They had no prior knowledge of Ziemlak being at a facility in Pendleton nor did the state immediately provide a photo of the missing man.

Ziemlak had a record of a previous escape attempt before he was sent to Pendleton. He again attempted to escape while on an outing in Lane County in 2022, but was quickly apprehended.

The hearing is “to determine whether Thaddeus Ziemlak is still affected by a qualifying mental disorder and presents a substantial danger to others, and whether Thaddeus Ziemlk should be continued in commitment, is a proper candidate for conditional release into the community, or should be discharged from Board jurisdiction.”

He has the right to a hearing every two years. In March 2024, the board ruled that he could not be adequately controlled and treated outside of the Oregon State Hospital.

EMG file photo of Thaddeus William Ziemlak

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Elkhorn Media Group