Soap Lake man accused of helping escaped inmate

EPHRATA - A Soap Lake man is facing charges after allegedly giving Sunday's escaped inmate a ride to Moses Lake.

Ryan Cecchetti, 32, was charged with second-degree rendering criminal assistance and obstruction for allegedly driving Jamie D. Hampshire, 29, from Cecchetti's Soap Lake home to a home in Moses Lake after Hampshire reportedly escaped from the Grant County Jail.

According to police reports, Hampshire allegedly crawled out the jail entrance when another inmate was being released Sunday morning. The other inmate reportedly attempted to close the door before Hampshire was out but he was able to push his way through and flee. The inmate returned to the jail shortly after and told a corrections deputy that Hampshire had escaped.

911 dispatch received a call shortly after about a man, dressed in only thermal underwear, who approached a woman on C Street Southwest and had asked for a ride. The man, who was identified as Hampshire, reportedly ditched his inmate jumpsuit into the back of a pickup truck. He reportedly ran west on C Street after the woman refused to give him a ride. Police searched the area for about an hour but were unable to locate Hampshire.

Police reports show Hampshire was reportedly given a ride to Cecchetti's home after telling a woman he was assaulted and needed a ride to his mother's residence.

Cecchetti allegedly gave Hampshire a ride to a residence on Road 4 Northeast in Moses Lake, where he was later found and arrested. Hampshire has been charged with first-degree escape and is also facing felony theft charges as well as residential burglary, forgery and theft from an incident in May.

Cecchetti was later contacted by police and admitted to giving Hampshire a ride to Moses Lake even after Hampshire reportedly told him he escaped from jail. Cecchetti reportedly told police he thought Hampshire was joking about the escape. Cecchetti said he learned later Sunday Hampshire escaped and told police he called 911 dispatch to report the incident. MACC dispatch did not have any records of Cecchetti calling Sunday, according to police reports.