Two 13-year-old boys were arrested after running away from the Deer Valley youth facility in Perry County.
Chief Deputy Bart Rosson said the boys ran away overnight Friday, and were likely still in the area.
On Monday, deputies closed in on an area around Highway 412 near a state maintenance garage because the teens had allegedly broken into a couple buildings in the area. A rifle was also reported stolen nearby, and officials thought the juveniles could now have the gun.
Officials were proven right when a homeowner spotted them wandering on his property in a rural, wooded area of the county later that evening.
They had a machete and a pellet gun altered with a scope and flashlight made to look like a sniper rifle, which were all stolen.
The Perry County Sheriff's Office chief deputy said the kids were lucky to be alive - that the homeowner didn’t shoot them after seeing what looked like a sniper rifle.
Officials learned the kids broke into the maintenance garage off highway 412 to spend the night. They stole laptops and radios and smeared excrement on the walls.
Deputies also found plastic bags full of candy with them. It was unclear the if gun theft in the area was tied to the juveniles.
Many reserve officers, including the SRT team, had to be called in to help with the search.
Last month, two teens ran away from the nearby Natchez Trace Youth Academy. They were found hiding out in a hunting cabin where they had rigged a rifle booby trap set to fire on deputies when they entered the front door.
Deer Valley is run by a group called Youth Villages. It's campus director released the following statement:
"We are very sorry for the disruption in the community caused by boys from our campus. We strive to be good neighbors and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Our top priority is keeping the children we help safe, and we appreciate the Perry County Sheriff’s Office for their help in this situation. We are giving the youth we serve the most effective help for their emotional and behavioral problems so they can return to their families but recognize that they are dealing with some very troubling issues.
We will continue to work with the police and community as partners in Linden. We’re also reviewing our policies and practices to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to de-escalate critical situations."
