9 teens back in custody after escaping from Pennsylvania detention center

The nine teenage offenders who escaped from a Pennsylvania detention center Sunday evening after allegedly overpowering two guards and stealing their keys are back in custody, authorities said.

The escapees, all aged between 15 and 17, were taken into custody at different locations on Monday morning. They had spent nearly 10 hours outside the Abraxas Academy detention center in Morgantown, Officer David Beohm said at a news conference.

“They were done. They were tired, they were cold,” Beohm said of four of the teens, who went to a house just before 6 a.m. “Looks like they’ve probably been walking in the woods since 8 p.m. last night. »

Less than an hour later, four more missing teens were arrested following a report of a stolen vehicle. The ninth teen, who was also allegedly involved in stealing the vehicle, was arrested a short time later after a brief foot chase, Beohm said.

The nine teens will be charged with escape in addition to any other alleged crimes they committed while on the run, he said.

Beohm said earlier reports of a riot taking place in the detention center, leading to the inmates’ escape, were incorrect.

State law enforcement recently conducted a nearly two-week manhunt for convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante, who escaped from the Chester County Jail in west Philadelphia, August 31. (Cavalcante’s first name was initially spelled “Danelo” by local authorities, but it was changed to “Danilo” in court filings last week.)

Cavalcante was recaptured on September 13 by authorities using heat-sensing technology and police dogs.

Beohm said he didn’t expect the nine teens to show the same “resilience” on the run as Cavalcante, who is about twice their age and was sentenced to life in prison before his escape.

“I don’t know if 15- to 17-year-olds have the resilience to not have to go back,” he said. “Cavalcante knows he will go to prison for the rest of his life.”