Fifth and final Echo Glen escapee captured

The fifth and final teenager who escaped from the Echo Glen Juvenile detention center in Snoqualmie was apprehended Tuesday night, according to the state Department of Children, Youth & Families.

The department did not specify where the 16-year-old was apprehended or elaborate on the circumstances but did say the teen, and stolen vehicle used in the escape, were recovered without incident.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office has previously said the 16-year-old, and another escapee, will be tried in adult court. Although the teenager has been charged, the Valley Record has chosen not to identify him by name.

The 16-year-old was part of a group of five teens, who range in age from 14 to 17, that escaped from Echo Glen in a stolen Ford Fusion on Jan. 26.

According to documents, the five suspects worked together in order to escape the facility. The group assaulted three staff members, including a male nurse and two female counselors, in their escape, documents said. One of the counselors had her hand slashed with a knife, while the other counselor and nurse were locked inside prison cells, according to documents.

County prosecutors announced on Feb. 4, that they had filed charges for escape, kidnapping and robbery against all five of the teens. A 17-year-old is also expected to be tried in adult court.

Prosecutors have also recommended that a 15-year-old, who had previously been sentenced for a “random gun-violence murder,” according to documents, have his cased heard in adult court. If convicted, prosecutors said the teens will not be held in jail with adults, nor will prosecutors advocate for an extreme or life sentence.

Those convicted in juvenile court are under the state’s control until their 21st birthday. Those under 18 convicted in adult court, under a judge’s discretion, can receive a lesser sentence.