15-year-old who left secure J Bar J facility in Bend without permission is found, arrested at Redmond restaurant
Tracee Tuesday
(Update: DCSO says teen arrested in Redmond, clarifies facility he left without authorization)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 15-year-old male juvenile who left a secure J Bar J Youth Services facility without permission late Sunday night, prompting a search and an alert to area residents, was found and arrested Monday afternoon at a Redmond restaurant, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.
The Redmond Police Department responded to a call at Applebee’s in Redmond at 12:44 p.m. Monday and took the juvenile into custody without incident, DCSO Public Information Officer Jason Carr said.
The sheriff’s office initially said the teen had escaped from the county’s Juvenile Detention Center, but Carr said later Monday that he actually left the adjacent, secure J Bar J Youth Services facility without authorization around 10:45 p.m. Sunday.
Deschutes Alerts notification sent to more than 12K residents.
The facility is located in the same building as Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice, on Britta Street in north Bend.
The juvenile was housed in a secure Behavior Rehabilitation Services program and was not permitted to leave the facility, Carr said, explaining that he is on parole for aggravated assault with a weapon.
J Bar J Youth Services leases housing units from Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice but provides its own staffing and security, Carr explained.
Participants are not free to leave and must complete a formal release process with their parole officer, including a 72-hour implementation plan.
Carr explained to KTVZ News that J Bar J Youth Services is “is a secure facility, but not at the level of the juvenile or adult jails. The official term is ‘unauthorized leave.’ Basically, juveniles are mandated by the court to be in this treatment program and can’t leave without permission or a request through a parole officer.”
“The juvenile did not initiate a release plan, and his parole officer issued an arrest warrant Sunday night for absconding,” Carr said in a news release.
Sheriff’s deputies immediately began searching the area and issued a neighborhood phone and text alert to more than 12,000 residents in the north Bend area “to increase awareness and request assistance,” Carr said.
In accordance with state law and standard practice, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office does not release the name or photo of individuals involved in juvenile proceedings.
The Sheriff’s Office thanked the Redmond Police Department for its assistance.