COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two teens who escaped the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice in Lexington County are now back in custody, according to officials with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
Officials said the two teens, 18-year-old Malachi Joseph Ussery of Columbia and 17-year-old Robert Richard Louis Bissonnette IV of Anderson, escaped from Three Rivers Behavioral Health in Lexington County on Aug. 28. Officials said they believed Bissonnette was last seen on Sept. 6 on Sunset Boulevard in West Columbia.
Before they were taken back into custody on Thursday, authorities urged the public not to approach them and told law enforcement to use "extreme caution" if they encounter either teen. SLED added that Ussery has a "violent criminal history."
Thursday afternoon, the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice stated the incident that read:
"The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (SCDJJ) is collaborating with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) in locating two youth who fled from the Three Rivers Behavioral Health facility in Lexington County. The two may or may not be together. Three Rivers notified LCSO of their flee from the behavioral health facility. LCSO then notified SCDJJ. The three agencies continue to work collaboratively to locate the youth."
Questions remain regarding the teens' escape, including how they got away, who was responsible for them at the time and why it took more than two weeks to inform the public of the teens' disappearance.
The Lexington County Sheriff's Department said Thursday evening that more information on the case would be available in the coming days.