1 teen who escaped Hastings Youth Academy caught, 1 still on the run

The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office is asking the public to keep an eye out for a teenager who escaped from the Hastings Youth Academy Monday afternoon with a second teen.

One of the teens, Jose Rodriguez, 18, was caught Monday night at Main and Harris streets, but the other, Earl Bostic, 16, is not yet in custody.

Bostic is black, 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 112 pounds.

Rodriguez is at the Department of Juvenile Justice facility on charges of robbery by sudden snatching, grand theft, burglary and trespassing, while Bostic was in custody on charges of grand theft auto, resisting an officer and violation of probation.

Before they escaped, both teens were last seen in the recreation yard shortly before 2 p.m. They were both wearing blue jumpsuit uniforms.

As for how the two teens escaped, WOKV reached out to the private company managing the site for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, G4S Youth Services LLC, for more information.

The company told us at approximately 1:49 p.m., the teens were able to evade staff supervision on the recreational yard and climb over the exterior fence. At the time, 10 youths and 2 staff members were present. The company said there were no injuries to the employees.

In the wake of this most recent escape, G4S Youth Services announced three changes to security measures:

1. Additional security will be posted outside of the exterior fence when youths are outside for recreational activities.

2. Staff members are providing supervision during recreational time will be required to conduct and call in five-minute head counts to master control.

3. The program will ensure there is a supervisory personnel on the recreational yard during these times as well.

The company says its priority is the safety and security of the youths and members of the staff.

The Department of Juvenile Justice released the following statement:

“The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice takes the safety and security of youth in our custody as DJJ’s top priority, and we expect the same of our contracted providers. Earlier today G4S Youth Services, LLC, the contracted provider for Hastings Substance Abuse program, notified the Department of an escape incident by two youth. The contracted provider also notified law enforcement of the escape and will be coordinating with DJJ and local law enforcement to ensure the youth are apprehended quickly and safely.

“DJJ is currently investigating the incident and staff’s adherence to policy and procedure, and should a failure be identified, staff will be held fully accountable for their actions. The program has been placed on an admissions freeze and the Department will be evaluating additional contract action.” – Secretary Christina K. Daly

Cox Media Group