SILVER SPRINGS - Two 17-year-old boys ran away Monday morning from the Western Nevada Regional Youth Center, but Lyon County Sheriff's deputies had them back in custody within about an hour and a half.
The youths, both from Carson City, caused no problems in Silver Springs while on the loose, said Lon Cook, the youth center's director.
The boys, however, did lose the privilege to continue treatment at the three-month old drug and mental health treatment center that serves Carson City, Lyon, Storey, Douglas and Churchill counties. They were the center's first runaways.
Juvenile probation officers from Carson City arrived at the youth center only minutes after the recaptured boys showered. The boys were taken to the Carson City Juvenile Detention Center.
"I wouldn't want to be in front of a judge if I were them," Cook said.
They will appear before a juvenile master within 48 hours. They face potential sentences at the youth correctional facility in Elko or the China Springs Youth Camp, said Sheila Banister, Carson City's chief juvenile probation officer.
She said the juvenile master will weigh matters such as the boys' past history, their attitude and the options available.
"Teenagers are so impulsive," Banister said. "They don't think of consequences. They just want immediate gratification."
Because of their age, names were not released.
The youth center is a non-secured facility that strives to treat children law offenders at a more lenient level than juvenile hall. None of the doors are locked but children are expected to remain on youth center property during their 90-day treatment.
Running away is considered violation of a court order and a probation violation, Cook said.
While others were undergoing group treatment, one boy had to stay in his room Monday morning because of behavioral problems. He made up his mind to leave and took another boy along with him, Cook said.
The boys left by a side door about 9:30 a.m, ventured across a field, crossed Highway 50 and continued toward the foothills north of the highway. As soon as staff noticed the boys were gone, they called 911 and deputies tracked the youths down in about one to one and half hours, Cook said.
"The staff did not chase them (because staff members are not law enforcement officers)," Cook said. "This is a treatment center not a detention center."