The nine youths who broke out of a juvenile detention facility in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday evening were all apprehended Monday morning, according to police, following a multi-agency search that resulted in the closure of local schools and warnings to the neighborhood.
According to David Beohm, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police regiment in Reading, the teenagers, who range in age from 15 to 17, forced their way inside the Abraxas Academy juvenile detention facility and stole the keys from two guards.
Early on Monday, four of the fugitives were apprehended after knocking on a homeowner’s door, according to Beohm.
During a press conference, Beohm stated, “They were done, they were tired, and they were cold.” “They pretty much gave up.”
The other five teenagers stole a car, and four of them were apprehended following a short police chase, according to Beohm. He claimed that the final adolescent fled into a field and was quickly apprehended.
In an early Monday update, Beohm stated that the escapees had previously attempted to break into a car between midnight and one in the morning. He stated, “I don’t know what woke up the homeowners, but they broke the car window, lights came on, and they took off.”
None of the nine teenagers actively fought arrest when they were all apprehended within four miles of the prison facility, according to Beohm. According to a press release from the Berks County District Attorney, they will all be charged with theft by unlawful taking, escape, riot, and simple and aggravated assault.
The search for the escapees involved about 60 personnel, including state and local law enforcement. K-9s and drones were also used by the police, Beohm claimed.
Danilo Cavalcante, an escaped murder convict, was apprehended on Wednesday after over two weeks on the run. The juvenile facility is located about 15 miles west of South Coventry Township.
Before the teenagers were found, Beohm had earlier remarked, “We’re asking the people in this region again, kind of like we did a couple of weeks ago, lock things up, take the keys out of your car, and be vigilant.”
Twin Valley School District in the area was closed on Monday “out of an abundance of caution.”
As Beohm put it, “I figured we’d catch these kids because they’re probably not as resilient as” Cavalcante, who was aware that he would spend the rest of his life in prison.
At least two of the teenagers, in his opinion, were “weary and dirty” when they were taken back into custody. At least seven of the youngsters are from Harrisburg, a city far removed from the woods where they had hidden.
Beohm said the escape, which sparked the nighttime hunt for the kids, was a planned operation.
He claimed that after obtaining the keys, they managed to exit through a side door or another door. He went on to say that it was probably by getting beneath the fence that the teens entered the site.
They were working together secretly to achieve this objective, according to Beohm.
In response to the incident, state police and local law enforcement arrived on the site and “took control of the building from the inmates who had been engaged in a riot at Abraxas Academy,” according to a statement from the district attorney.
“I would describe it as a disruption rather than a riot. In reference to an incident that occurred at the facility in July, Beohm remarked, “It wasn’t anything like what we experienced here a couple of months ago.
On July 4, CNN station WFMZ reported a brawl at Abraxas Academy involving fifty youths. No one escaped after a sizable police presence was called, according to WFMZ.
According to John Adams, the district attorney for Berks County, “it was a very serious incident,” and the fact that 19 police agencies responded to Abraxas Academy “speaks for itself,”
“We are worried. We worry about this facility’s ability to retain control as it contains some of our most serious young offenders who have either been charged with or convicted of a crime.
According to the facility’s website, Abraxas Academy is a “secure residential treatment program” that offers “specialized care for delinquent males between their ages of 14 to 18 in 9th grade or above.”
“Youth who exhibit persistent delinquent patterns through several placements, major charges, and troublesome behaviors are treated at the Academy. According to the website, young people are admitted to the Academy if they have a history of sexual misconduct or habitual criminal behavior.
Abraxas Academy & the Berks County District Attorney’s Office have been contacted by CNN for comment.