Two youths who walked away Tuesday from the Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center in south Sebastian County were back in custody Wednesday morning, according to the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
The two male teens, ages 16 and 17, left the center on foot between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities in surrounding communities sent out officers who searched all night for the two youths, a news release from the Sebastian County sheriff's office said.
Sheriff's spokesman Philip Pevehouse said the two surrendered to an Arkansas State Police trooper about 10 a.m. Wednesday on Arkansas 378 a couple of miles north of the center. They were returned to the treatment center.
A Youth Services Division investigator and staff members at the Mansfield center were reviewing the escape to determine how it happened and whether all policies and procedures were followed by staff members before the two fled, the release said.
Metro on 03/20/2015