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GOLDEN, CO (KMGH) — Law enforcement agencies are trying to locate a ‘violent’ teen offender who escaped from the Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center in Golden.
Quinn Scaggs, 17, was reported missing from his room shortly after midnight Tuesday, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services. Scaggs was confirmed to be in his room at 11:58 p.m. and was missing as of 12:21 a.m., according to Golden Deputy Police Chief Joe Harvey.
Scaggs was committed to the Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center on a charge of possession of a handgun, according to Anders Jacobson, director of the Colorado Division of Youth Services.
Officials said Scaggs removed the window from his room on the ground floor and then used bed sheets tied together to get over the facility’s perimeter fence.
Jacobson said the facility was adequately staffed, and bed and perimeter checks occurred within department policy. Scaggs was able to remove his window and get to the fence with “perfect timing,” Jacobson said, exiting his room within about 15 minutes of a bed check.
Golden police, Boulder police and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office all responded to assist in searching for Scaggs, using a K-9 and a drone equipped with thermal imaging equipment, but were unable to locate him.
Scaggs is described as a white male, 6 ft. 2 in. tall and 160 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. He has a tattoo reading “Loyalty” above his right eyebrow. Jacobson said Scaggs’ shoes were left behind at Lookout Mountain and there’s no evidence he was picked up by someone in a vehicle.
Anyone with information on Scaggs’ whereabouts should call 911.
Two teens allegedly used similar tactics to escape from the facility last month. Jacobson said the facility is moving forward with improvements that will make escape more difficult, including adding anti-climbing mesh to the fencing. Efforts are also underway to increase staffing at Lookout Mountain and increase staff pay.
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