JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — A teenage inmate was found in the ductwork of the Mountain View Youth Development center in Jefferson County Sunday morning, the Dandridge Police Chief said. He had been reported missing Saturday night, launching a search that officers to call in support from surrounding counties.
Chief Carson Williams said the teenager had apparently never left the outer perimeter of the fence. He was found in the ductwork of one of the buildings of the detention center Sunday morning.
Overnight, officers called in support from surrounding counties to search for the inmate using drone technology, Williams said. That did not work as he was still inside.
Since operator Wayne's Halfway House took over in February 2020, there have been three successful escapes from the facility, records show. On Christmas Eve, three inmates attempted to escape and a dangerous 17-year-old convict was on the loose for hours, the state said.
A Department of Children's Services spokesperson said welders repaired a flaw in a gate the 17-year-old used to escape on Christmas Eve.
In late October, an inmate escaped by throwing a concrete rock through a window. He was later captured in a neighbor's yard, a police report said.
In March 2020, two juvenile inmates of the troubled Mountain View Youth Development in Dandridge escaped by knocking open a fire exit door and scaling a fence, according to the Dandridge Police Department. They were captured hours later after one knocked on the door of someone's house.