Tennessee Detention Center Escape: 32 Teens Sneak Out of Woodland Hills Development Center; 10 Remain Missing
Officials in Tennessee are searching for the remaining teenagers who escaped from a detention center in Nashville late Monday night.
Thirty-two teens in total escaped from the Woodland Hills Youth Development Center in Bordeaux shortly after a 10:30 p.m. employee shift change.
By 8:40 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Department of Children's Services reported that 22 of the teens had been captured, while 10 were still at large, spokesman Rob Johnson told CNN.
"At about 11 o'clock last night, about 32 youth -- we believe -- got out of their dorms and managed to slip underneath the perimeter fence," said Johnson, according to NBC affiliate WBIR.
The escape occurred when a large group at the center went out into the yard all at once, Johnson said. Then they managed to break out through a weak spot under a fence.
At the time of the breakout, 78 teen boys between the ages of 14 and 18 were being held at the facility.
"Most of the kids have at least three felonies," Johnson said, adding that all of the escapees were brought to the center from across the state, reports USA Today.
Although Johnson says he doesn't know if the escape was planned or spontaneous, he noted that there are fewer Woodland Hills staffers who work overnight.
"Staffing is lighter during the overnight hours, and so, presumably, they planned for that, but we don't know quite yet," he said. "The facility, as I understand, is under control. They've brought in extra staff."
Two of the teens were captured quickly, and several more were back in custody by 4 a.m.
Metro police, DCS and the Tennessee Highway Patrol are working together to find the other youths.
"Officers were seen combing through the area on foot with K-9s and from a helicopter," reports WBIR.
"Right now, we're focused on finding out what happened. Finding out who knows anything, and whether that can help with the search," Johnson said.
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