Joplin Escapees Back in Custody

Two teenagers who ran away from the Joplin Youth Center in Orange County were back in custody today, authorities said.

The 16-year-old boys -- one from Santa Ana and the other from Costa Mesa -- ran away while playing basketball after dinner about 6:10 p.m. Tuesday at the juvenile correctional facility, said Robert Rangel, a spokesman for the Orange County Probation Department.

Immediately after the escape, Orange County sheriff's deputies scoured the area in the Santa Ana mountains and deployed a helicopter in hopes of tracking down the pair, Rangel said.

Police in Santa Ana and Costa Mesa were alerted, and the Probation Department's gang unit became involved in the search.

Both were taken into custody late Thursday night, Rangel said.

-- City News Service