Echo Glen escape: 5th and final teen captured, DCYF says
SEATTLE - The fifth and final teen who escaped from Echo Glen Children's Center in January has been caught, according to the state Department of Children, Youth and Families.
According to DCYF, the teen was taken into custody without incident on March 14. DCYF did not specify where the teen was arrested.
On Jan. 26, Washington authorities said five boys assaulted multiple staff members at Echo Glen Children's Center in Snoqualmie, stole a car and escaped from the juvenile detention center.
According to the King County Sheriff's Office, the five juveniles aged 14-17, were being held for crimes ranging from first-degree murder to possession of a firearm to possession of stolen property.
The first teen, 15-year-old Timothy Hernandez-Ebanks, was arrested early in the morning on Jan. 27, a day after the escape. FOX 13 does not name juveniles, but Ebanks has already been convicted for murder. He was sin Echo Glen for a second murder.
That same day, one teen was arrested in Kirkland and another in Kent.
On Feb. 1, the fourth escaped teen was taken into custody in Kent.
All five teens have been charged with first-degree kidnapping, first-degree escape, unlawful imprisonment, first-degree robbery and theft of a motor vehicle.
RELATED: Echo Glen escape: Teens accused of assaulting staff members, locking them in 'quiet room'
The Echo Glen Children's Center in Snoqualmie is a medium/maximum security facility that is not fenced, but is bordered by natural wetlands.
In the last decade, there have been at least three other inmate escapes at Echo Glen that have prompted calls for better security at the facility.
Back in Sept. 2012, six boys ages 14-15 knocked a female security guard unconscious with a frozen water bottle. According to The Seattle Times, they then locked her up and stole her keys and radio. The escape appeared planned in advance – the boys were carrying packed bags when police caught up to them, and one of them had even stuffed his bed to make it look like he was still in his room.
Exactly one year later in Sept. 2013 there was another escape – this time by a single 15-year-old inmate. According to the Snoqualmie Valley Record, he got away while staff moved the kids between buildings. In that case, there was only one staff member on guard when there should have been two.
In Dec. 2018, two teens at Echo Glen made a brief escape – a 14-year-old serving time for a gang-related murder and a 16-year-old who was in for robbery. According to Patch.com, law enforcement said at the time that the teen were able to get away because they gained access to an unfenced area of the campus. Officials at Echo Glen said they would be looking at security protocols following the incident.
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