A manhunt is on for two teens who remain at large, after three detainees from the Wilder Youth Development Center outside of Memphis escaped last Wednesday.
“The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office was notified this morning June 23, 2021 at approximately 6:45 am of (3) youth detainees that had escaped from the Wilder Youth Development Center in Somerville between 12:45 am and 1:00 am overnight,” the Fayette County Sheriff’s office said in a press release. “They left in an unknown direction of travel and by unknown means of travel after escape from the facility. Two of the escapees are from Memphis, TN and one is from Chattanooga, TN. One of the escapees has previously escaped from the facility in one of the earlier incidents.”
That press release described the escapees as having “a violent history and were being detained at the youth facility for charges which include criminal homicide, aggravated robbery and theft of property.”
The Sheriff’s office did not name the suspects because they are underage.
Thursday, one of the teens was captured.
“U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller announces the arrest of a male juvenile who had escaped from the Wilder Youth Development Center in Somerville, Tennessee,” according to a press release from the U.S. Marshals. “The seventeen year old juvenile who was captured was being held at that facility for four counts of aggravated robbery.”
He was reportedly captured in Memphis.
This is the third escape from the facility in less than a year.
In May, five teens reportedly escaped the facility. They had been jailed on charges of “carjacking, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a deadly weapon, theft of property and evading arrest.”
All five boys were caught.
In November, another five teens, ages 16 and 17 at the time, escaped the detention center.
“Officials have confirmed that five teenage boys have escaped the John Wilder Youth Development Center in Somerville, Tenn,” FOX 13 reported in November.
At least two of those teens were captured.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to dabroscareports@gmail.com.
Photo “Inmate” by Rainerzufall1234 CC4.0