UPDATE: Two missing MCF-RW inmates found

The Minnesota Department of Corrections confirmed just after noon today that the two male juvenile inmates who were missing from Minnesota Correctional Facility-Red Wing have been apprehended.

Red Wing Police Capt. Darold Glander said they received a call reporting suspicious people near Perkins just before noon. Officers were able to apprehend the pair “without incident” shortly thereafter, Glander said. The males are being held at the Law Enforcement Center. A press release from the DOC sent out Monday afternoon said an investigation is ongoing to determine whether the juveniles will face additional charges.

DOC spokeswoman Sarah Russell said the two inmates did not appear for headcount Sunday evening. One of them is a 16-year-old who is serving time for assault. The other is 17 years old and serving time for burglary, she said.

DOC spokesman John Shadl said the inmates “made their way over the fence at 8:20 last night.” Their absence was discovered about 20 minutes later, and a search involving multiple law enforcement agencies began immediately.

DOC officers, the Minnesota State Patrol, Red Wing Police Department and Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the search, Glander said. A State Patrol helicopter was also used in the search.

The Goodhue County Dispatch Center sent out a Code Red message this morning to residents within a one-mile radius of the correctional facility, Glander said. The message informed residents of the incident and asked that anyone who saw people matching the juveniles description to call police.

Russell stressed that the Red Wing facility is a minimum security prison, and that the DOC wouldn’t put inmates there unless they fit that description.

Tags: red wing, crime and courts, breakingnews, news, minnesota