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An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Edward Randolph Johnston, died the evening of September 7, 2024. Johnston was incarcerated at Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) in Salem and passed away in the infirmary while on hospice care. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified.

Johnston entered DOC custody on February 2, 2012, from Lincoln and Marion Counties with an earliest release date of August 2, 2041. Johnston was 77 years old. Next of kin has been notified.

DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of approximately 12,000 men and women who are incarcerated in 12 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.

OSP is a multi-custody prison located in Salem that houses approximately 2,000 adults in custody. OSP is surrounded by a 25-foot-high wall with 10 towers. The facility has multiple special housing units including disciplinary segregation, behavioral health, intermediate care housing, and an infirmary (with hospice) with 24-hour nursing care. OSP participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises including the furniture factory, laundry, metal shop, and contact center. It provides a range of correctional programs and services including education, work-based education, work crews, and pre-release services. OSP was established in 1866 and, until 1959, was Oregon’s only prison.

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T.J. Harvey Bennett, an adult in custody with the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC), walked away from a work crew near the corner of SE 46^th Place and Red Cherry Court SE in Salem, Oregon at approximately 3:00 p.m. Monday, August 26, 2024.    

Bennett, 44, is a white male weighing 165 lbs., 5’ 08’’ tall, with hazel eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a blue shirt, and an orange vest.

Bennett entered DOC custody on October 9, 2023, for Burglary I out of Columbia County. His earliest release date is March 16, 2025. Bennett was housed at Santiam Correctional Institution and was working on a City of Salem Work Crew. 

The DOC Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the Oregon State Police are investigating. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should contact the Oregon State Police at 1-800-452-7888, the non-emergency number of their local police department, or the DOC Fugitive Apprehension Unit at 503-569-0734. Do not approach Fugitive Bennett.

Bennett was housed at Santiam Correctional Institution (SCI), a minimum-security prison in Salem that houses approximately 440 adults in custody who are within four years of release. The facility concentrates on work opportunities, most of which are in the form of work crews contracting with state agencies, local organizations, and private industries within a 60-mile radius of Salem. SCI provides a range of other correctional programs and services including education, transition programs, and religious services. The building that is now SCI was constructed in 1946 and was originally used as an annex to the Oregon State Hospital for mental health patients. Over the years it was used for a variety of correctional purposes until, in 1990, it opened as SCI.

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An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Salvador Garibay-Perez, passed away at a local hospital the morning of August 20, 2024. 

Garibay-Perez entered DOC custody on August 15, 2024, from Marion County with an anticipated release date of October 6, 2026. Garibay-Perez was 60 years old. Next of kin has been notified. 

DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of approximately 12,000 men and women who are incarcerated in 12 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.

DOC employs 4,500 staff members at 12 institutions, two community corrections offices, and several centralized support facilities throughout the state. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of over 12,000 adults sentenced to more than 12 months of incarceration, and direct or indirect supervision of 31,000 offenders on felony supervision in the community. DOC is recognized nationally among correctional agencies for providing adults in custody with the cognitive, education, and job skills needed to become productive citizens when they transition back to their communities. 

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On Friday, August 16^th, the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) became aware that a case of tuberculosis (TB) was suspected in one of our adults in custody (AIC). This individual has been in our custody for approximately four months and is currently isolated and undergoing further testing. 

Tuberculosis is a serious but treatable bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs and can be spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or sings. 

“We understand that this news is concerning, but we are taking every necessary step to manage this situation effectively,” said DOC Director Mike Reese. “Our priority is to safeguard the health and safety of everyone in our care—staff and incarcerated individuals alike. We have well-trained medical staff at every institution, and they are addressing any concerns staff or AICs have as more information becomes available.”

DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) on a plan of action to ensure proper isolation, infection control, testing, contact tracing, and medical evaluation protocols are in place to support this individual and protect staff and other AICs.

Upon identification of a potential positive TB case this afternoon, the AIC was transported from Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) to Salem Memorial Hospital to undergo testing. Once testing is completed, the AIC will be transported to Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF), where they will be isolated in a negative pressure cell in the infirmary. Full test results may take up to two weeks.