Oregon inmate scales fence, is caught after warning shot

SALEM - James Rincker, who shot two people during a siege at a downtown Portland building in 1996, climbed a fence at the Oregon State Penitentiary yesterday but was apprehended after a warning shot was fired, a corrections official said.

Rincker became tangled up in razor wire at the top of the 15-foot fence, and was captured when he landed on the other side, Oregon Department of Corrections spokeswoman Perrin Damon said.

Rincker suffered cuts from the razor wire. He was treated at a hospital and released, Damon said.

It's not known where Rincker was trying to go, Damon said. The area beyond the fence was not close to the 26 1/2-foot outer wall that surrounds the penitentiary.

On Jan. 4, 1996, Rincker entered the KOIN Center, a high-rise building, and wounded two people with an assault rifle before holding four women hostage. He surrendered 4 1/2 hours later.

He was sentenced to 300 years in prison.