Sophia Detention Centre escapee recaptured in Bush Lot

– 1 still on the run

A teenager, who, along with six others, had escaped from the Sophia Juvenile Detention Centre, Greater Georgetown last month, was recaptured on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old escapee, who was originally detained for murder, was found in a house at Bush Lot Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), sometime around 15:30h.
According to the Police, acting on information received, a party of Policemen went to the home in Bush Lot Village, where a search was conducted for the escaped juvenile. He was eventually found hiding in the lower flat of the building.
He was taken into custody and escorted to Central Police Station in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) to await transfer to the city.

The teenager was part of a group of seven who escaped from the detention facility on April 22, 2021. Three of the group were recaptured shortly after the escape and two others returned subsequent to that. With Wednesday’s capture of the 17-year-old, only one juvenile remains at large.
It was initially reported that the teens had escaped from the facility between 02:30h and 02:40h on the day in question. However, an alarm was raised and quick response by law enforcement led to the recapturing of three of the escapees.
Later that day, a fourth juvenile was taken back to the facility by his mother. Then, around 18:00h that same day, the fifth juvenile was recaptured with the aid of relatives.
This incident comes on the heels of 12 teenagers escaping from the Juvenile Holding Centre just over one year ago on May 5, 2020 after attacking the two Police Officers who were on guard duty at the time.
The teens, who were housed in cell two and who had matters ranging from armed robbery to rape and murder, broke out of their cells and attacked the security personnel who were guarding the entrance of the building.
They reportedly relieved the unarmed Police Officers of the keys to some of the other cells after which the juveniles sprinted from the facility.
An alarm was raised and a search was conducted in nearby communities, where five were recaptured the following day and taken back into custody. Another six were recaptured in the following weeks.