Ziemlak will remain institutionalized
By Terry Murry on Monday, March 21st, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – The Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board has ruled that Thaddeus William Ziemlak will remain in custody of the Oregon State Hospital. He was committed to psychiatric care when he was judged to be guilty except by reason of insanity in the shooting death of his mother in Lane County in 2004.
The conditional release hearing was set as a matter of routine. Ziemlak’s attorney stated that his client wanted to remain in the hospital and was not seeking any release option at that time.
“The board finds as fact that Thaddeus William Ziemlak could not be adequately controlled and treated in the community at this time,” the finding stated.
Ziemlak made the headlines in this area when he escaped supervision at a secured psychiatric facility in Pendleton. He was granted an unsupervised outing to Walmart and Safeway and instead he fled on Jan. 5, 2020. Ziemlak had already escaped from facilities in Marion County twice.
Pendleton police spearheaded the search for the missing man who was located and taken into custody in Burbank, California near the end of January. Ziemlak did make the trip to Walmart, purchasing a tent, knife and camping supplies before taking off on Interstate 84. It took the facility more than an hour after he failed to return to notify police of his absence.
At the time, then Police Chief Stuart Roberts was sharply critical of the lack of communication with state officials regarding the escape. Initially, local police did not have a photograph of Ziemlak and did not know why he was institutionalized. Detectives with PPD tracked Ziemlak and the Burbank Police Department quickly took him into custody.
