Manhunt on after three teens escape Oregon correctional facility, visitations canceled as facility put under lockdown
WOODBURN, OREGON: Three 19-year-old men are on the run after escaping from MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn on Sunday, February 18 night, the Oregon Youth Authority said.
The agency did not reveal how the teens managed to break out of the state’s largest youth prison, citing safety and security reasons.
Escaped teens identified, warrants issued
The agency named the escaped teens — Angel Diaz-Barrera, Julian Diaz-Navarro, and Xavier Swimm. Diaz-Barrera and Diaz-Navarro are reportedly from Salem, while Swimm is from Portland.
They were adjudicated for various violent crimes, including robbery, assault, and harassment, committed before they turned 18 in Marion County and Multnomah County.
Adjudications are the juvenile equivalent of a criminal conviction. The Oregon Youth Authority can keep teens in custody until they are 25, Salemreporter reported.
The agency issued warrants for their arrest and urged anyone who sees them to call 911. Anyone with information about their whereabouts are asked to call Oregon State Police at 503-375- 3555 and reference case number SP 24-054230.
MacLaren on lockdown, second escape in 3 years
MacLaren is on lockdown as the state police continue investigating the escape, the agency said Tuesday morning. The facility houses up to 271 teens and is the largest of its kind in Oregon, according to Statesman Journal.
The facility reportedly currently has 168 in custody, not counting the three who escaped, but has beds for 271.
MacLaren was at or near capacity in the years immediately following the shuttering of Hillcrest in Salem in 2017.
Meanwhile, the Oregon Youth Authority has suspended visitations at the facility.
"Due to the continued lockdown and modified operations at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility. We are canceling visitation tomorrow on Wednesday, February 21st. Our case coordinators have reached out to notify families who have signed up for visitation. We will be continuing to assess if visitation will happen this Sunday, February 25th, and will communicate on that topic in the coming days," the OYA posted on Facebook.
This is not the first time that teens have escaped from MacLaren
In March 2021, three other teens assaulted a staff member, cut a hole in the perimeter fence, and escaped.
They were captured three days later near Lebanon, about 53 miles south of Woodburn according to the publication.
An OYA spokesperson said at the time to Statesman Journal that it was the first escape from the facility since at least 2000 when a perimeter fence was installed.
Meanwhile, people have criticized the correctional facility for the escape. "How did they escape? I thought they fixed the fence," a Facebook user wrote in comments to the OYO post.
People pointed out that the facility "can have inmates up to age 25 depending on the severity of crime and behavior."
One more criticized the facility for writing youth suggesting "Aren't they adults?" To which, another user replied that they had committed crimes when they were minors.
