Six juveniles who escaped from the Okeechobee Youth Treatment Center and fled in a stolen vehicle are back in custody, according to the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office. G4S, who operates the facility, said there is an internal investigation of the incident now underway.
The six juveniles escaped the development center located on 7200 Highway 441 in North Okeechobee on Saturday between 11 p.m. and midnight. Investigators later found a broken bathroom window and a sheet across an outer fence of the center. They said someone also saw the teens running.
Officials say the escapees fled Okeechobee County in a stolen vehicle registered to Superior Water Works.
The company is located less than two miles from the Okeechobee Youth Development Center.
"Because our vehicles are tracked with GPS, we knew where it was, but we didn't know who had taken it or what the situation was," said Billy McCullers, general manager of Superior Water Works.
A BOLO (Be On The Lookout) alert was sent to nearby counties.
The juveniles and the vehicle were recovered in Orange County by Orange County Sheriff's Office.
It is a strange vehicle to take I mean it’s got lettering you couldn’t miss it and if it hadn’t been stopped at the Waffle House they had maybe an hour before we stopped the situation," said McCullers.
Officials say the six juveniles attempted to steal another vehicle in Orange County but were captured by law enforcement and arrested.
All six will be charged with grand theft and are being held by the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
GS4 Youth Services released the following statement:
G4S Youth Services can confirm that at approximately midnight on May 14, 2016, six youth exited Okeechobee Youth Treatment Center. Okeechobee Youth Treatment Center (OYTC) is a non-secure treatment program for males, ages 13 to 18, who are in need of substance abuse treatment services. Once it was confirmed that the six youth were missing from the facility, G4S Youth Services called 9-1-1 at 12:22am on May 15, 2016. An internal review of the incident is ongoing. G4S Youth Services has provided residential and outpatient treatment programs since 2002. The young men adjudicated to the Okeechobee Youth Treatment Center are in need of substance abuse treatment services. While they are at our facility their mental and behavioral health needs are being addressed using programs that are designed to combat the causes of their offending behavior. This can result in resistant behavior, including attempts to leave the program. Although rare, incidents can happen when working with at-risk and troubled youth.
