Escape response planned for youth facility

Keith Paul

Wednesday, June 13, 2001 | 10:33 a.m.

Metro Police, state officials and authorities at a youth jail in North Las Vegas are creating a tactical plan to respond to future escape attempts, after an incident earlier this month illustrated the lack of one at the year-old facility.

"We have tactical plans for just about any major facility, and this was one we didn't have and decided to work on it," said Capt. Tom Hawkins, head of Metro's Northeast Area Command, where the Summit View Youth Correctional Center is located. "We all sat down to make sure we had something that would run smoothly."

Summit View officials gave police layouts of the year-old facility, said Jason MacIntyre, warden of the state-owned, but privately run, 96-bed facility.

Nineteen teenage inmates of Summit View face charges ranging from attempted escape to obstruction and damage to jail after a three-hour standoff with police June 1.

Seven of the teens -- who were 18 or 19 years old -- appeared in North Las Vegas Justice Court this morning to be arraigned on the charges as adults.

The arraignment was delayed until Thursday to allow the youths to get attorneys.

Hawkins wouldn't reveal any of the tactical plans to deal with a future standoff or escape, but he confirmed that police met with jail staff, state and local juvenile officials and prosecutors.

"The plan is comprehensive about who is going to respond and what will occur afterward," he said.

The standoff began, police and jail officials said, after the 19 teens, who were moving in a line through the facility near Range Road and Nellis Boulevard, scaled a fence around an air conditioning unit, then hoisted each other onto the roof of the facility.

Metro Police were called, and about 25 to 30 Metro patrol officers negotiated with the teens to come down. Some of the teens ripped apart the air conditioning unit and threw pieces at the officers.

Several of the teens came down after a couple hours in the 100-plus degree weather. Officers used pepper spray and non-lethal shotguns that fire beanbags to take the remaining teens into custody.

During Metro's investigation into the standoff, one of the suspects told investigators that he had warned a jail counselor a day before that the disturbance was going to take place, Sgt. Dan McGrath of Metro's juvenile unit said.

MacIntyre said he had not heard that allegation. After the police are done with their investigation, he said, he and other jail authorities will investigate and try to determine if any staff knew beforehand.

McGrath said there was at least $13,000 worth of damage done to the building.

The maximum-security facility is used to house offenders ages 13 to 18 from across the state. Some of the teens may have turned 19 while still housed in the facility.

Operation of the state facility is contracted out to Youth Services International, a private company based in Sarasota, Fla.