SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — Three juveniles are in police custody after attempting to escape Echo Glen Children’s Center on Sunday night.
The search ended just after 8:30 p.m. The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families told KIRO 7 that three youth attempted escape from Echo Glen Children’s Center at 6:10 p.m.
Echo Glen Children Center staff immediately notified King County Sheriff’s Office to aid in response.
Two of the escapees were apprehended on the grounds near a facility maintenance yard within the first hour, and one was caught in the woods southwest of the main campus at approximately 8:30 p.m.
No staff or juveniles were injured during the incident.
Nearby residents received a text, telling them to secure their homes because of an inmate escape at Echo Glen.
“We don’t know how dangerous they are, what they were in for. It’s a complicated situation because they are youths and we are obviously hoping these kids are getting the rehabilitation they need, said Snoqualmie resident Kim Jones.
This is not the first time an escape has happened at Echo Glen. In fact, it’s now the 9th since 2020.
In May, seven inmates escaped. All of them were found and charged. Before that, following an escaped that occurred in January of 2022, an audit done by the state urged the facility to “reinvent” its campus.
Jones has lived in Snoqualmie since 2009 and wants to know why it’s so frequent.
“I mean, it’s definitely concerning because it makes you wonder how this keeps happening and how it can be prevented in the future. When we first moved here and found out about the facility, I was a little taken aback that there’s really no fence. It’s not really a secured facility,” she said.
All three youths, who attempted to escape Sunday, will be transported to King County detention to face new charges.
A Juvenile Rehabilitation Critical Incident Review Team (CIRT), comprised of people from outside facility management, has been initiated to conduct a thorough review of the incident.
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