RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia State Police are searching for two Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center inmates who allegedly choked a security guard and escaped through a hole in the fence early Monday morning, Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice officials say.
Jabar A. Taylor, 20, of Spotsylvania, is convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and aggravated malicious assault. Rashad E. Williams, 18, of Washington, D.C., is convicted of malicious wounding and robbery.
Reports say that the residents used a cord of 'undetermined origin' to choke the security staff member, who briefly lost consciousness. The two took the staff member’s keys which they used to exit the unit, and then escaped through a hole that had been cut in the facility’s perimeter security fence.
Reports further explain that they then boarded and left in a vehicle that appears to have been waiting for them. It was unclear whether the residents cut the hole in the fence, or whether the hole had been pre-cut. The staff member was treated and released from a nearby hospital emergency room.
“This is the first escape we’ve had at Bon Air in over 20 years,” said DJJ Director Valerie Boykin. “DJJ takes very seriously our role in promoting public safety, and are therefore releasing the names and photos of these young adults to aid in their apprehension, as allowed by the Virginia Code. We are very concerned about how this happened and will fully investigate the circumstances and ensure that appropriate action is taken. We strive to provide for a safe, secure and therapeutic environment for the youth committed to our care. We ask that anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of these individuals contact local authorities or the Virginia State Police.”
Contact the Virginia State Police if you have any information that could help with the investigation at (804)-674-2000.
