By Staff
Staff Report
A 15-year-old Brewton boy has been charged with escape, third degree, after fleeing from the Escambia County Courthouse last Friday.
The teenager was in the Sheriff's Department's custody and had just completed a detention hearing with the Juvenile Court Judge. The boy was escorted out of the courthouse by a deputy who was going to return the youth to the Baldwin County Juvenile Detention Center in Bay Minette.
When the deputy got the boy outside, the boy fled on foot across the street toward St. Nicholas Ave. The teen crossed St. Nicholas Avenue and ran into the woods.
Officers of the Brewton Police Department and deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office quickly set up a perimeter around the area where the boy was last seen.
A short time later, the teen was seen crossing Burnt Corn Creek, just upstream of the Hwy. 31 bridge. The Alabama Department of Corrections responded with their canine tracking team.
The dogs picked up the juvenile's trail in the woods behind Arby's and tracked the boy for several hundred yards.
The boy then crossed College Drive and Investigator Russell Martin of the Brewton Police Department saw him and chased him down and captured him.
Captain Chuck McMullen with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said, "The quick response of the Brewton Police Department, Alabama Department of Corrections, and the deputies of our office was the key in capturing this juvenile within such a short time."
The juvenile had been arrested the previous Tuesday for multiple vehicle burglaries, automobile thefts and residential burglaries.
After being captured, the juvenile was taken back to the Juvenile Detention Facility in Bay Minette.