© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

32 Teens Escape From Nashville-Area Detention Center

Police near Nashville spent the night raking the city with dogs and helicopters in search of 32 teens who escaped from a detention center in Bordeaux, Tenn.

Blake Farmer of NPR member station WPLN tells our Newscast unit that 17 of them are still on the loose. Blake sent this report:

"Young men were found hiding in drainage pipes and in bushes, according to WZTV. The mass exodus started around 11 p.m. during a shift change. A spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services says the 32 young men — ages 14 to 18 — slipped a perimeter fence at the Woodland Hills Youth Development Center in North Nashville.

"Half a dozen teens escaped the same facility in May, though they didn't get far. The center is one of three that houses and treats delinquent youth in Tennessee. Most have committed at least three felonies."

The AP reports authorities still don't know whether the escape was planned or spontaneous. The wire service adds that authorities said the detention center was "calm and back under control Tuesday morning."

The center was holding a total of 78 teens.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.
KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and award-winning podcasts.
Your donation helps keep nonprofit journalism free and available for everyone.