9 juvenile detention center escapees captured
Some knocked on a door to surrender because they were cold, tired, police say
Nine juvenile offenders escaped Abraxas Academy in New Morgan on Sunday night after causing a disturbance in the detention facility, and all were captured as of early Monday morning, police said.
Youths held in the facility attacked members of the staff at around 8 p.m. State and local law enforcement eventually took back control of the facility, but nine people housed there were unaccounted for.
Four were taken into custody shortly before 6 a.m. Monday on Oak Grove Road in Robeson Township, about 4 miles from the detention center, state police said. Five others were apprehended nearby when troopers stopped a stolen truck hauling a trailer at Furnace and Oak Grove roads. One of the escapees fled the truck but was quickly captured.
State police spokesman David Beohm said at a press conference Monday morning that four of the escapees knocked on a homeowner’s door to turn themselves in, saying they were tired and cold after a night on the run.
He said one of the offenders was from Berks County, one from Lehigh and the rest from the Harrisburg area.
The Twin Valley School District announced Monday morning that it is closing all schools and offices Monday as well as after-school and evening activities, including a scheduled school board meeting.
The private facility in New Morgan has a history of dealing with disturbances, most recently in July when police from numerous Berks County departments and state police from three counties responded to a riot there.
The search for the escaped juveniles follows just days after the capture of an escaped murderer who eluded Pennsylvania authorities for several days despite an extended manhunt nearby in Chester County.