On December 10, 8 juvenile males were arrested after attempting to escape the Eckerd Kids property. The Eckerd Kids program is a residential program for youth with substance abuse related issues who are in the juvenile justice system.
The males between the ages of 14 and 16 made it to the woods near the facility and may have still been on the Eckerd property before being apprehended. Some of the youth attempting escape returned willingly. It is not clear from reports whether they were all part of the same assigned areas or different assigned areas.
HCSO utilized several deputies, K-9s and air support to find the juveniles. The juvenile offenders were transported to the Hernando County Jail without incident.