State murder suspect subdued after attacking guard

Associated Press

PAYETTE, Idaho — Michael "Cowboy Mike" Braae briefly got out of his jail cell and attacked a guard before being subdued by four inmate workers and another corrections officer, the Payette County sheriff says.

It was unclear how Braae got the cell door open Saturday night, Sheriff Bob Barowsky told The Olympian newspaper in Olympia.

The door might not have been properly shut after Braae was let out to make a phone call, or Braae may have used a piece from a plastic cup found in his cell to jimmy the lock, Barowsky said.

Braae, 41, is being held on charges of eluding police and aggravated assault stemming from his July 20 capture. Idaho State Police say he led officers on a car chase, shot at them and jumped off a 40-foot bridge into the Snake River before being taken into custody.

Police were looking for him as part of an investigation into the deaths, disappearances, rapes and assaults of several women in Washington and Oregon.

Saturday evening, Braae apparently used sheets and a pillow to make it look like he was in bed, then pushed the cell door open and into a corrections officer who was checking on him, Barowsky said.

The guard fell backward and Braae tried to wrestle the officer’s radio away so he could not report the incident, Barowsky said.

During the scuffle, the guard pushed a button that alerted another officer, then four inmate workers from the kitchen and the other officer pulled Braae off the guard, Barowsky said.

No one was injured.

Braae — known as Cowboy Mike because of his preference for Western hats and boots — was in an isolation cell, where he had been placed after making degrading comments to female corrections officers, Barowsky said.

His stay in isolation was lengthened when he tried to break the teeth off a plastic fork, then partially shredded a blanket to make a lasso, Barowsky said.

Braae is scheduled to face trial in Payette on Jan. 22 on two counts of aggravated assault against a police officer and one count of eluding police.

After his trial in Idaho, Braae may face extradition to Yakima, where he is accused of attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of Marchelle Morgan in July and a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Yelm woman, last seen with Braae before she was shot and left for dead underneath a bridge, survived but suffered brain damage.

Braae also is being investigated in the death of Lori Jones, a Lacey woman last seen with him in July. He has not been charged in that case.

Detectives in other jurisdictions also are investigating whether Braae is linked to five other disappearances and assaults. No charges have been filed in those cases.