A 13-year-old girl who attempted to rob a store this past Friday is now facing more charges after she escaped from police custody from the Grove Police Station and captured just hours later.
According to Superintendent Don Wilson, the teen escaped through a window at the station around 1:40 p.m. Monday after she asked a female officer to use the bathroom.
“It was while she was in the restroom that somehow she managed to successfully evade police officers here and made good her escape. An all-points bulletin was echoed throughout the Bahama land and all police officers were alerted to this particular escapee,” he said during a press conference yesterday.
“I am happy to report at 4:40 p.m. [Monday] while on Wulff Road in the vicinity of the Mount Royal Avenue area family members who had the escapee in their protective custody handed her over in good health to the officers here from the South Central Grove Police Station.”
Mr. Wilson said the girl, who did not put up a fight when she was captured, is now in “intense” protective custody.
He added that this is the first time someone has escaped during his two-year tenure at the station.
Meantime an internal investigation is on-going to determine which officer was negligent.
“The internal investigation as it relates to what transpired here that led to this breach within police policy is still in progress and so at the end of that exercise, if there is evidence we expect to discipline whoever was at fault and whoever was negligent while she was out of the cell utilising the restroom,” he said.
“Our commissioner is very stern when it comes to suspects being held in protective custody. On completion of the investigation someone will be punished for what happened here this afternoon.”
He added that he will also being analysing the station.
“I will be looking at what happened here as the commanding officer and would be making some corrections and making some adjustments be it from the supervisory level,” Superintendent Wilson said.
The girl was arrested this past Friday after she used a shot gun to attempt to rob a clothing store at the Town Centre Mall.
She was thwarted by store employees.
The girl is expected to be charged before a magistrate’s court soon.