Two Youths Escape from Joplin Boys Ranch

Two teenage boys escaped from Joplin Youth Center—also known as the Joplin Boys Ranch—on Rose Canyon Road in Trabuco Canyon late Saturday evening, according to a call made to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The youths ran off and were last seen running south from the correctional facility toward Turkey Springs Road. Before fleeing, each of the teens removed a pair of brown pants from his locker.

Deputies first cleared and then checked an abandoned structure near the Boys Ranch but could find no trace of the boys. The deputies then patrolled O’Neill Park, Trabuco Canyon and Trabuco Creek but were still unable to find them.

One of the escapees is 16 years old, with a shaved head and brown eyes. He is 5 foot 4 and weighs 145 pounds. His last known address was in Garden Grove. The teen had been serving time for a probation violation and for showing false identification to a police officer.  He was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt and gray shorts, but, according to the caller, he may have changed into the brown pants he took from his locker before escaping. 

The second boy is also 16 years old, with a shaved head, brown eyes and a goatee. He is 5 foot 9 and weighs 140 pounds. His last known address was in Santa Ana, and he had been serving a sentence for assault with a deadly weapon. The teen was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt and gray shorts but, like the other escapee, he may also be wearing the brown pants he took from his locker.

Authorities did not disclose the race of the boys.

Anyone with information about their whereabouts should contact Rancho Santa Margarita Police Services at 949-635-1819.

The Joplin facility, established in 1956, has a maximum capacity of 64 boys, most of them serving 30 to 90 days.