Authorities launch roundup of young escapees

The other two were found at their families’ homes during the Wednesday roundup, officials said.

A quarter of the 214 children under state Department of Children’s Services custody who remain at large live in Nashville.

“One of the criticisms of DCS for a long time was that when this happened (escapes), they didn’t make any effort to get them back,” said Judge Betty Adams Green, head of Nashville’s Juvenile Court.

Her department, city police and the district attorney general’s office are involved in the ongoing Nashville search.

Similar roundups are planned in East and Northeast Tennessee, Chattanooga and Memphis, officials said.

The escaped youths have criminal records with charges ranging from drug possession to possession of lethal weapons and aggravated robbery.

Once found, they’ll be placed in detention in Juvenile Court and later transferred to more secure DCS facilities.

The sweep comes a few weeks after DCS Commissioner Viola Miller created a new division of juvenile justice and appointed former Juvenile Court Judge Steve Hornsby as its head.

In February, Tennessee Juvenile Court judges criticized DCS for the high number of children escaping or running away from DCS facilities where they were placed to undergo rehabilitative treatment.

Children escape or run away from Tennessee DCS custody at twice the national rate, department figures show.

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Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com