An Inmate on Work Assignment Stole an ODOT Work Truck and Escaped Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Custody

Scott Smith, a Portland resident, is the second man to escape MCSO custody in less than a week.

By Katie Shepherd
Road construction in Shady Cove, Oregon. (ODOT)

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A 25-year-old man assigned to a Multnomah County Sheriff's Office work crew stole an Oregon Department of Transportation truck and escaped custody in Northeast Portland around noon on Thursday.

Scott Smith, a Portland resident, is the second man to escape sheriff's custody in less than a week, after a 29-year-old inmate at Inverness jail hid in ceiling ducts for hours last week.

The ODOT work truck had been left unlocked and running while the crew cleaned a green space on NE Hancock Drive.

Deputies found the truck a short distance away from the work site, but Smith is still missing.

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escapeinmateMCSOMultnomah County Sheriff's OfficeODOTOregon Department of Transportation

Katie Shepherd

Katie Shepherd

News reporter Katie Shepherd joined Willamette Week in 2017. She covers criminal justice, cops and courts.

Willamette Week reports the stories worth knowing, from City Hall to the people and places shaping Portland.

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