Law enforcement are still searching for two minors who escaped from South Portland’s Long Creek Youth Development Center on Friday and allegedly fled in a stolen car, the Maine Department of Corrections (Maine DOC) announced on Saturday.
The Maine DOC launched a manhunt with its Fugitive Investigation Apprehension Team, alongside federal, state and local law enforcement, after the two male youths escaped from the juvenile detention center at about 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Immediately after the two minors escaped, the South Portland Police Department responded to a report of a strong-armed robbery of a vehicle with the threat of a firearm in the parking lot of 10 Liberty Lane in South Portland — under a mile away from Long Creek Youth Development Center.
According to the South Portland Police, no weapon was sighted during the theft.
Police said the two male escapees are suspected to be behind the car hijacking and fled from the scene in the stolen vehicle, which was later located by police.
Arrest warrants for robbery, theft, and assault have been issued for the two youths, who according to police were last seen in Biddeford at 10:30 p.m. on Friday and are still at large.
In their press release, South Portland Police and the Maine DOC advised anyone who has seen the two males not to approach, but to report the sighting by calling 911.
The Maine DOC did not release the identities of the two minors, which they said “cannot be release by the Department due to confidentiality laws.”
At the request of Maine DOC Director Randall Liberty, the Department is also launching a “full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape” at Long Creek.
A Maine DOC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for an update on their investigation Monday morning.
Under Maine state law, juvenile criminal case records are confidential, except in cases where the juvenile was at least 13 years old at the time of the alleged crime, and where the alleged crime would constitute a Class A offense if the juvenile were an adult.
A Juvenile Court can adjudicate whether or not to release a juvenile’s identity for Class B or C crimes, if the court determines that “the general public’s right to information” outweighs the juvenile’s or the alleged victim’s interest in privacy.
However, the identities of juveniles who are alleged to have committed even serious and violent crimes in Maine are rarely released.
Recent examples include the multiple teenagers who were arrested earlier this year after Portland Police uncovered a massive juvenile-run cocaine trafficking ring in southern Maine.
Though large quantities of illegal drugs were discovered and multiple firearms seized during the course of their investigation — which stemmed from a February drive-by shootout in Portland — no identities of the 17-year-olds arrested were released to the public.
Another recent case was the arrest of a male juvenile after a shots fired incident in Portland in May.
The juvenile was taken to Long Creek Youth Development Center and charged criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and theft by receiving stolen property, though his identity was not released.
the 17 year olds arrested from the drive by/cocaine biz where illegal alien minors who came to maine from rhode island i heard…. bet they escaped… they sound dangerous… we should have a desription atleast!
“No danger to the public” right Mills. Resign !!!!
Well if there are no pictures or names how is anyone supposed to recognize them and report them to the police?
Still not all in Saco shooting last Jan not cough.
We need more cops on the street.
I get it… more “Portland Men”… “A Juvenile Court can adjudicate whether or not to release a juvenile’s identity for Class B or C crimes, if the court determines that “the general public’s right to information” outweighs the juvenile’s or the alleged victim’s interest in privacy.”
Rooster, they don’t want to so that they won’t be called racist.