NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The last of four teenagers who escaped from a Tennessee juvenile detention facility late last month was captured Thursday afternoon, according to a tweet from Metro Nashville Police.
The teen was taken into custody at a Nashville apartment complex along with a man and woman who were in the apartment with him, police said. Police found the 17-year-old with help from a tip to their Crime Stoppers hotline. Authorities were offering a $12,500 reward for help capturing him. He faces an armed robbery charge.
BREAKING: Escaped teen Brandon Caruthers, accused of armed robbery, has just been taken into custody by MNPD SWAT, Juvenile Crime Task Force officers & Deputy U.S. Marshals at an Antioch apartment complex. pic.twitter.com/LZ2W7v5EpW
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 12, 2019
A report by Youth Opportunity, the private contractor managing the detention center, found that a series of policy violations led to the teenagers’ Nov. 30 escape.
On Wednesday, former detention center supervisor Patrick Jones, 31, and former staff member Alexis Beech, 25, were charged with facilitating the escape by recklessness, Nashville police said in statements. Two other employees were fired for their roles in allowing the escape.
Information provided through Crime Stoppers helped lead to Caruthers’ apprehension. Two other persons in the apartment with him, a female and a male, both adults, are also in custody. pic.twitter.com/0GsQRkZjKS
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 12, 2019
An investigation found that Jones allowed the four teens to perform cleaning duties after lockdown even though three weren’t eligible for work detail due to behavior issues, police said. In addition, Jones didn’t secure an elevator after using it and failed to notice that the teens were unsupervised when he passed them while responding to a call for assistance, police said.
We have recovered this gun and boxes of ammo from the apartment in which escaped teen Brandon Caruthers was located. pic.twitter.com/wghPmU1Abc
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 12, 2019
Beech was assigned to monitor the teens that night, but left them alone without notifying anyone while she went to another location in the facility, police said.
It wasn’t immediately clear on Thursday whether Jones or Beech has an attorney.