HASTINGS, Fla. — New details emerging from the four juvenile inmates escaping from Deep Creek Academy Monday revealed the inmates attacked and choked a guard unconscious before fleeing.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office said Thursday two of the inmates attacked a guard with a "sock containing a shower head" and a "makeshift knife/shank" before overpowering him and choking him to unconsciousness. The inmates then took his keys and portable communications radio.
Three inmates joined the group and one inmate did not make it off campus, the agency said. The guard was treated by St. Johns County Fire Rescue and is recovering from his injuries.
A "tremendous" amount of law enforcement resources were deployed to the area, the agency said. A K9 officer led a team of deputies to a vehicle approximately 2 miles from the facility where four inmates were found. They were taken to the St. Johns County Jail and charged with the following:
- Robbery with a weapon
- False imprisonment
- Battery by strangulation
- Aggravated assault with an intent to commit a felony
- Unlawful use of a two-way communications device
- Escape from a residential commitment facility
“This was a first-class operation to protect our citizens conducted by numerous SJSO personnel from several divisions and units and I am proud to be their Sheriff. Thank you to our law enforcement partners from surrounding agencies who immediately responded to assist our staff. I have been in contact with the Secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, and we will work together to ensure this does not happen again. The message is clear: we will not tolerate this in our community, and we will respond in force to protect our citizens. These inmates picked the wrong county,” St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick said on Facebook.
Six other law enforcement agencies assisted in the search and arrest.