Officials quell riot at youth facility

On Saturday morning at 11:36 a.m., the Dodge/Wilcox 911 Center received a real emergency call from the YDF in which the caller stated that the juvenile inmates were rioting and there had been an escape from the facility. Due to the quick response from all the involved agencies and previous training, the situation was quickly brought under control within an hour.

Law enforcement officials locally from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office and the police departments of Eastman, Chauncey and Milan all responded to assist the juvenile officers of the YDF. Other agencies also responded, including the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office, the Abbeville Police Department, the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), the Georgia Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Georgia Department Natural Resources (DNR).

Dodge County Sheriff Jeff Hinson recalled all off duty Dodge County deputies to respond to the emergency and began supervising the incident. Sheriff Hinson immediately called for the GSP Aviation Unit and the DOC K-9 unit to assist in locating the YDF escapee. Dodge County Chief Deputy Major Lynn Sheffield and Eastman Police Chief Becky Sheffield set up and coordinated a containment perimeter. Dodge County Sheriff’s Deputy Captain Tony Winborn coordinated and led a team of officers from Dodge S.O., Wilcox S.O., Milan P.D., Chauncey P.D. and Abbeville P.D. into the facility to rescue YDF officers and bring the juveniles under control.

At 12:17 p.m., the escaped juvenile inmate was recaptured by officers from the YDF on Freeman Graham Boulevard after the inmate was flushed from his hiding spot in the woods next to the facility. At 12:27 p.m., captain Winborn radioed sheriff Hinson that situation inside the facility was under control and the inside team had taken control of all the juvenile inmates who were participating in the incident and that all officers were safe and accounted for. Officials then began the mopping up phase and debriefing of the operation.
There were no major injuries to anyone in the incident. Several officers received superficial injuries such as bruises, scratches, etc. One person from the YDF staff was transported to the hospital complaining of chest pains.

Public safety officials were very pleased that the incident was brought under control so quickly. Officials had trained for one emergency incident at the facility, but arrived to find two (2) incidents going on both inside and outside the facility. Sheriff Hinson stated that he was pleased with the response and adaptation of his staff and the other agencies involved.

The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), which supervises the facility, is investigating the escape and incident. The Eastman YDF is the only Level 5 security facility in the state of Georgia where juveniles who are convicted of violent serious crimes such as murder, rape, etc. or pose assault/escape risks are incarcerated.