LAKESIDE, Colorado — A 17-year-old suspect who escaped custody by stabbing a guard while at a dental office in Lakeside, sparking an hours-long manhunt Tuesday, is back in custody, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
Juan Ocegueda was housed at Platte Valley Youth Services Center at 2200 O St. in Greeley but was taken to a dental office at 5801 W. 44th Ave. in Lakeside Tuesday morning, according to JCSO.
While there, Ocegueda escaped after stabbing a guard who was a correctional officer at the youth center, the sheriff's office said. The guard was stabbed multiple times but his injuries were not life-threatening, JCSO said. He was treated at the hospital and then released, the sheriff's office said.
>The video below shows the moment Juan Ocegueda was taken into custody.
The area around the 5500-block of West 44th Avenue was closed down as authorities conducted yard-by-yard searches for Ocegueda. A shelter in place was also issued for the area.
Shortly before 2 p.m., JCSO said Ocegueda was located near West 43rd Avenue and Eaton Street, which is within the perimeter set up earlier by law enforcement.
Investigators said they had a feeling he didn't get far.
“We had reason to believe by one of my officers that he was possibly in this area because my officer earlier this morning was right on top of the call and didn’t see the suspect exit the alley," said Chief Steve Davis from the Mountain View Police Department. "So, that officer along with a couple of others just sat on that house for the last several hours and directed the K9 team there and it paid off.”
Ocegueda was found hiding inside a vacant garage. He was taken into custody peacefully and no one else was injured.
9NEWS spoke with the person renting the home where Ocegueda was found in the backyard garage. That person spoke only off camera and said they were at work the entire time the search unfolded. The landlord informed them of what was happening.
They said they are grateful for neighbors who also kept them in the loop of what was going on.
The garage was unlocked at the time because they only recently started filling it with supplies for yard work, but they had planned to buy locks, they said.
They now lock their garage.
“If you get on top of these types of calls with the resources that we have, the chances of finding somebody are very good," Davis said. "It’s just tedious and you just have to wait them out, and like this case, as long as you have the resources and you can search yard-by-yard it pays off, and that’s what happened today.”
A spokesman for the Greeley Police Department confirmed that Ocegueda was arrested in a case in their jurisdiction in late December. Court records indicate he was later charged as an adult with:
- Assault with a deadly weapon – causing serious bodily injury
- Violent crime – causing death or serious bodily injury
Due to his age at the time of the crime, an arrest affidavit related to the case is not publicly available.
JCSO released the below photo of Ocegueda, which they said was taken earlier Tuesday morning.
The Colorado Department of Human Services operates the Division of Youth Corrections. 9NEWS asked CDHS why Ocegueda was taken from a facility in Greeley to Lakeside for a dentist appointment and received the following statement:
"Speaking in general terms, when the Division of Youth Services has a youth that requires dental care that cannot be provided within one of their youth centers, they are transported to a dentist willing to provide care to youth in secure custody. Not all communities have a dental provider willing to provide services to youth in the Divisions care."
A spokesperson said the Division of Youth Services contracts with Correctional Health Partners, who then reaches out to community medical providers when services are needed for a particular youth.
"In some instances, care is provided through the youth's own healthcare provider; it is a case-by-case basis," the spokesperson said. "When specialty care is needed when a youth is admitted, CHP will reach out and locate a provider for a case rate agreement for that case. We do not have permanent contracts with the providers."
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