A 16-year-old Kenai teen escaped from Anchorage’s McLaughlin Youth Center with another teen Friday night and has not been seen since according to his mother, Crystal Locke.
She says officials at the detention center told her that her son, Tyler Sargent, and another boy found a piece of fence by the kitchen that was loose on the night of October 23 during some free time.
Inquiries by KSRM to McLaughlin staff were referred to the media contact who will not be in until tomorrow(Monday). The escape of the two teens was neither confirmed nor denied.
Crystal stated Tyler was in McLaughlin after breaking out of a youth facility in Juneau where he and another youth took a car and totaled it while trying to run from officers there.
His original charges were a series of non-violent thefts, including snack foods from Walmart and a smart tablet from Kenai Middle School according to his mother.
Crystal says she is concerned for Tyler’s safety in Anchorage because of the lack of communication between the youth detention facility and Anchorage law enforcement who do not seem to be looking for the teens.
Kenai Police had not been notified of the teen’s escape, although McLaughlin officials told Crystal that they had left messages for Tyler’s Kenai Probation Officer.
Crystal stated in an email, “My son it not perfect, by far. And is known to test his boundaries. Him walking out the gate doesn’t surprise me much as we have been dealing with his poor impulse control since he was 8. The part that appalls me is how the facility addressed the issue afterwards.”
Anyone who sees Tyler can contact local law enforcement or Anchorage Police at 907-786-8500.
