The Tribune

POLICE are looking for a 17-year-old who escaped his holding quarters at the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys over the weekend.

A police representative told The Tribune yesterday they have not found the teen and police are still investigating.

“Police are seeking the public’s help in locating a 17-year-old juvenile male of Adelaide, who reportedly escaped from his holding quarters at the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys between 6pm on Saturday, 18 February and 7am on Sunday, 19 February 2023,” police said in a press release.

This is not the first time teens have escaped from the juvenile detention centre.

In August 2018, 13 juvenile inmates escaped the centre for boys after gaining access to the building’s ceiling; the boys were between 15 and 17.

At the time, a police official said the boys were unarmed and no one had been hurt during the escape. The teens reportedly attempted to assimilate within a crowd celebrating Fox Hill Day.

Police said in a statement at the time: “According to reports, shortly before 10pm, a supervisor on duty was alerted by noise coming from one of the colleges. Upon making checks, he discovered an opening in the roof and a number of inmates were missing. Officers responded to the Fox Hill area, where they captured eight of the inmates and returned them to the school.”

In October 2018, a second group of juvenile inmates escaped the centre.

Anyone with information regarding the juvenile’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Criminal Investigations Department at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477).