GRESHAM, Ore. — A man committed to the care of Oregon's Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) voluntarily returned to his residential treatment home in Gresham after going missing on July 7.
Christopher Hall, 41, was committed to Oregon State Hospital in 2020 after kidnapping a woman at knifepoint.
Hall's group home in Gresham realized around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday that he was gone, according to the PSRB, which put out a notice to the public to help find him.
Hall returned to his residence at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, according to PSRB Executive Director Alison Bort. As of Friday afternoon, Hall was being transported back to the Oregon State Hospital.
A judge first committed Hall to the care of the Oregon State Hospital in April of 2020, placing him under the jurisdiction of the PSRB for a maximum sentence of 20 years. It's unclear precisely when, but the board indicated that Hall was since granted conditional release from more restrictive incarceration in favor of the residential treatment home in Gresham. The board determined that Hall could be safely managed in the community with treatment.
After his disappearance this week, the board will hold another hearing to determine if Hall will remain in the state hospital or be released in the community again.
Hall's charges stemmed from an episode in August of 2019. Police responded to reports that a man — later identified as Hall — had tried to break into a Northwest Portland church and was swinging a heavy chain at people.
According to a witness, Hall forced his way through a back gate of the church and entered the building, where about a dozen children were having choir auditions. Hall wasn't making sense and seemed volatile, the witness said.
When officers arrived, Hall swung the chain at an officer and then ran away from the church.
Near the McDonald's located on West Burnside Street and Northwest 18th Avenue, Hall pulled out a knife and grabbed a woman who was waiting for a ride with her 13-year-old daughter.
Hall pushed the woman to the ground, held her at knifepoint and dragged her a short distance away before he was encountered by officers with their guns drawn.
Police said they were able to convince Hall to drop the knife, at which point he let go of the woman and tried to run, but a passerby grabbed Hall and held him down for police. After a struggle, an officer used a taser to incapacitate Hall and arrest him.