The escape attempt was discovered when a corrections officer found a broken exterior window about 9 p.m. Sunday during a routine perimeter check. An investigation determined the broken window was linked to an escape attempt by Brent Ward Luyster, Undersheriff Mike Cooke told the Vancouver Columbian.

It’s unclear how the window, outside a cell where Luyster was being held in solitary confinement, was broken or whether someone on the outside may have assisted, authorities said.



Brent Ward Luyster

After the discovery, the jail was placed on lock-down as the sheriff’s SWAT team, along with patrol deputies and Vancouver police officers responded. They conducted a cell-by-cell search for possible contraband, including firearms, but didn’t disclose what, if anything, was seized.

When an investigation is concluded, Luyster likely will face additional charges related to the attempted jail escape, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney James Smith told the Vancouver newspaper.

Luyster, who has a lengthy criminal record and neo-Nazi tattoos covering much of his body, was arrested last July after an intensive 18-hour manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies in the Pacific Northwest. He was charged with fatally shooting three people and critically injuring a fourth victim at a home in Woodland, a community in southwestern Washington state.