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Manhunt: Teen on the run after escaping detention center in Cuyahoga County

Posted at 4:34 AM, May 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-22 17:30:13-04

One of the teenagers who escaped from the Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility in Highland Hills overnight has been caught by authorities. The second teen is still on the run.

The Department of Youth Services said the pair scaled a fence using a sheet just before 12:30 a.m., setting off an alarm.

Cleveland juvenile inmate escape

Nathaniel Lee Jacks, 17, was last seen with the second teen when they took off running from police on the city's east side. He is 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs approximately 165 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes, and was last wearing dark blue khaki pants and a t-shirt/sweatshirt.

The 16-year-old teen was caught on E.138th Street near Miles Road.

When police stopped the pair and asked for identification, the two took off running. Police were able to catch Newman.

John Dewey Elementary School is closed Tuesday as authorities continue to search for Jacks, who is still at large. The elementary school is comprised of preschool, kindergarten and first grade, serving 378 students.

Superintendent Donald J. Jolly II, of the Warrensville Heights City School District, released the following statement:

As police officials searched for escaped inmates, the administration at Warrensville Heights City School District closed John Dewey Elementary School as a precaution. The search has ended and John Dewey will resume classes tomorrow Wednesday, May 23.

News 5 is not naming the teen who was caught because he is a juvenile.

According to Kim Jump, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Youth Services, Jacks was in custody for a parole violation related to an original charge of vandalizing a business property. He has a previous escape charge from a community facility.

Jacks was set to be released from the juvenile detention facility at the end of June. 

He is from Licking County near Columbus and authorities believe he may be headed back there. 

The public is encouraged to avoid approaching Jacks and asked to immediately call 911. 

This is the first escape from the Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility in 10 years, Jump said. Currently, 168 inmates are housed there, all with felony-level offenses. They range in age from 14 to 20. It is one of three state-run facilities in Ohio for juvenile offenders.