UPDATE August 15, 2017: The teen who escaped from the Donald E. Long Detention Center on July 8 was located and admitted to detention on August 15.
Contact: Jessica Morkert-Shibley (971) 563-3735
STATEMENT: Authorities search for youth escaped from Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Facility
Authorities are searching for a 16-year-old Multnomah County youth who escaped from the Donald E. Long Detention Facility in Northeast Portland on Saturday, July 8, 2017.
“We are working diligently with our law enforcement partners and family to find the youth,” said Department of Community Justice Deputy Director Truls Neal.
The youth was booked in the detention center on July 5, 2017, on pending theft charges and did not have a previous criminal record. Based on the youth’s history, Multnomah County Juvenile Detention authorities do not believe the community is at risk.
Neal added, “We are conducting a comprehensive review of the incident and our security protocols to determine how the youth was able to leave the facility and changes necessary to prevent this from happening again.“
It is the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice’s practice not to release names or photos of juveniles whose cases have not been processed through the court system, who are not facing Measure 11 adult charges or who are not believed to be a public safety risk.
Multnomah County officials say escapes are extremely rare. Since the Donald E. Long Detention Center was constructed in 1996, four youth have escaped from the facility.