Teen Escapee Captured In St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — One of two teenagers who escaped from a Tampa juvenile detention facility in late January has been brought back into custody.

St. Petersburg Police announced the capture of Anthony Bays, 18, on Monday morning. It seems Bays was the subject of a call on Feb. 4 about suspicious activity in a vacant home at 251 Davison Ave. N.E. When police arrived at the scene, they found Bays hiding inside the house, an email from the police department said.

“Initially he gave the officers an incorrect name,” the email said. “He eventually admitted he was escapee Anthony Bays and had a warrant for his arrest.”

Bays and 17-year-old Antony Cook were reported missing from the Falkenburg Academy on Jan. 31. Both Bays and Cook were being held on grand theft auto charges.

The two boys reportedly made their escape after cutting a hole in a chain link fence at the detention center, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has said.

The whereabouts of Cook remains unknown. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 813-247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

Booking photo of Anthony Bays courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Department