Police are searching for three 19-year-olds who escaped Sunday night from MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, according to a statement from the Oregon Youth Authority.
The men escaped at 9:12 p.m. on Sunday. Warrants have been issued for their arrest.
The state agency, which operates the facility, provided no other details about the escape “due to concerns of youth and staff safety, and security of the facility,” according to spokeswoman Liz Gharst.
The agency identified the teens as:
*Angel Diaz-Barrera of Salem, adjudicated for first-degree robbery and carrying or using a dangerous weapon in Marion County
*Julian Diaz-Navarro of Salem, adjudicated for attempted first-degree assault and carrying or using a dangerous weapon in Marion County
*Xavier Swimm of Portland, adjudicated for attempted second-degree assault and aggravated harassment in Multnomah County
Adjudications are the juvenile equivalent of a criminal conviction. The Oregon Youth Authority determines the sentences for teens prosecuted in the juvenile system and can keep them in detention until they are 25.
The state agency announced the escape Monday afternoon with a statement posted to the agency’s Facebook page. Gharst did not explain why the agency waited nearly a day to notify the public.
The agency urged anyone who sees them to call 911. Anyone with information about their whereabouts are asked to call Oregon State Police at 503-375- 3555 and reference case number SP 24-054230.
MacLaren is on lockdown while state police continue investigating the escape, the agency said Tuesday morning.
The incident comes about three years after three other teenagers assaulted a MacLaren staff member, cut a hole in the facility’s perimeter fence and escaped in March 2021. They were arrested three days later near Lebanon.
MacLaren is Oregon’s largest youth correctional facility and houses up to 271 teens.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
