A Jefferson County juvenile who was arrested Tuesday on misdemeanor charges is now facing a felony allegation after he escaped from the juvenile center. He was caught Wednesday morning. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Maj. Lafayette Woods Jr. said the 17-year-old, whose name is not being released because of his age, was brought to the center on two charges of fleeing from deputies, a misdemeanor marijuana charge and traffic offenses.
At the same time, a repairman was in the juvenile center working on a commercial refrigerator, and when main control opened the door so the repairman could leave, the juvenile ran after him and out the door.
Woods said after escaping, the juvenile ran across the Martha Mitchell Express to Regional Park, where sheriff’s Lt. Yohance Brunson saw him climbing a tree. Brunson lost sight of the juvenile because of the foliage; a drone that was put into the air also failed to locate the boy. Tracking dogs from the Arkansas Department of Correction were called and put in two boats to search the park, but they lost the track and deputies finally closed the park at about midnight after a fruitless search.
Woods said that while deputies were searching the park, they saw the boy’s father, mother and another relative circling through the park and officials believe one of them picked up the boy and took him to a house in the Sulphur Springs area, where he was later apprehended. He said that the department will look at changing some of his procedures, particularly dealing with where juveniles are allowed to make phone calls, perhaps adopting the method used in the adult jail where phones for detainees to use are not located near an exit door.