The juveniles escaped from Edgecombe Youth Development Center at 78 Positive Way just after 6:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the NC Department of Public Safety.
Three of the escapees -- Quadarius H., Jayden W., and David B. -- were captured just down the road a few hours later. One of those had turned 18 while serving his juvenile sentence, so upon his capture, he was sent to adult jail. The other two were taken to a Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention youth development center to remain under custody.
The fourth escapee, Eric M. remained on the run until around 2 p.m. Friday. A business owner found the escapee at his business.
"I'm like, 'that's strange,'" Big Rock Power Sports mechanic Greg Andleton said.
He is the man who spotted the escapee. He said in all of his 9 years working at the shop, this was hands down the wildest. He ended up flagging down state troopers and telling them that the teen was inside his fenced in boat yard.
"I pointed where he went; they searched and found him," Andleton said.
Williams Lassiter, the deputy secretary for the Department of Public Safety Division of Juvenile Justice, said a full investigation has already been launched into figuring out how the teens made their escape.
Edgecombe Youth Development Center holds 42 kids and was at capacity at the time of the escape. The escape happened when the juveniles were in the rec yard.
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