EVERETT, Wash. – An inmate in Washington state who was granted early release due to coronavirus has been arrested. He is accused of sneaking up behind a woman and choking her on a hiking trail, according to a report.
Matthew Cory, 33, attacked the woman Friday while she rested on a trail in Everett, Q13 FOX reported, citing court documents.
Fortunately, the woman who was described to be in her 60s, had some fight in her. She was able to loosen his grip and scream for help, causing him to flee. Not long after, responding officers found Cory running through the woods nearby. They were able to tie him to the crime and arrested him.
Cory told investigators that he had no memory of the attack, according to the documents. He said he’d been using meth for two weeks and had not slept in seven days. He has a long criminal record, which includes 11 arrests, seven felony convictions and two misdemeanors.
Like so many others who committed violent crimes after being released from jail in order to “protect” them from coronavirus, Cory proved critics of the practice to be correct; predator inmates will continue to prey on the public. Therefore, their release from custody is foolish in so many cases.
Cory left jail May 2 as part of the state’s initiative to release about 1,000 “non-violent” inmates up to six months early to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the prison system, the station reported. However, he removed his ankle monitor 10 days later and police lost track of him.
This crime leaves people wondering how an offender with his lengthy criminal record qualified for release.
Furthermore, several other released inmates have similarly disappeared, law enforcement sources told Q13 FOX.
The release of so many inmates has local law enforcement concerned about an increased risk to public safety.
“I feel the release of these additional offenders is of great risk to public safety,” Lewis County Sheriff Robert Snaza said in a press release last month. “My fear is this will create additional concerns for local law enforcement as we struggle with the challenges already facing us from the COVID-19 pandemic, and its effect on routine operations.”
