Search on at youth lockup for runaway

No sign 17-year-old boy fled beyond fence of 108-acre campus, authorities say

A 17-year-old boy who ran away from guards at the state's largest youth lockup near Alexander on Saturday was still missing Monday, but Arkansas Youth Services Division officials said they believe he was not able to escape beyond the fence that encircles the 108-acre campus.

The boy, Brandon Price, was in the recreation room at the Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center with a group of about a dozen youths when he ran out a door with another boy, said Amy Webb, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, which oversees the Youth Services Division.

The other youth stopped and returned to the room, but Price kept running out of sight of the two staff members who were supervising the group, Webb said. Price was last seen at 8 p.m. Saturday, when a surveillance camera filmed him near the lockup's laundry.

Since then, Webb said Monday, search dogs from the Bryant police and Arkansas State Police troopers have found no indication that Price was able to escape from the lockup's campus near Alexander in Saline County, which comprises several buildings and some woods that are encircled by a fence topped with razor wire.

"The dogs didn't alert on anything. We haven't found any blood or torn clothing on the fence, and the last time they saw him on camera, he was still on the facility itself," Webb said. "We don't have any indication that he's gotten out over the fence."

Webb said Price, who is from Washington County, doesn't have a history of violence. He has been at the Alexander lockup for nearly two months for nonviolent, misdemeanor offenses.

Webb said the Youth Services Division and contractor G4S Youth Services, which is paid about $10 million per year to operate the lockup, have opened an internal investigation into how Price was able to run off. One employee has been placed on leave pending the outcome of those investigations, she said.

Webb said that, based on preliminary reports, the Youth Services Division believes that the appropriate number of staff members was supervising the group of youths in the recreation room when Price ran off. But the agency will be reviewing staffing levels, as well as whether proper protocols were followed, Webb said.

According to the division's daily census, the 100-bed facility was housing 104 youths on Saturday, when Price fled.

Monica Lewman-Garcia, a spokesman for G4S, said late Monday that the company is reviewing how Price was able to run off, and the company "will ensure that any lessons learned are fully implemented to help prevent a reoccurrence."

As of late Monday, a second search team equipped with dogs was expected to conduct another sweep of the campus. State police spokesman Bill Sadler said troopers had also stepped up patrols in the area.

"We've maintained a presence in the Saline County line area because of the possibility that he might show up alongside the road," Sadler said.

Price is described as white, 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 110 pounds. He has brown hair and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and khaki pants. Officials said anyone who sees the boy should call local law enforcement.

Metro on 06/16/2015

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