Pair of escapees quickly caught
ALLEGHENY TWP — State police say a teenager broke out of a northern Butler County juvenile detention center because he wanted to attend the funeral of his father, who was shot dead last week.
Chace Johnson, 18, of Pittsburgh got about four miles from the Western PA Child Care facility in Allegheny Township before police caught him Friday night in a wooded area along Interstate 80.
Johnson immediately disclosed his reason for breaking out.
“He said he wanted to go to his father's funeral and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to attend,” Trooper Jessica Clouse said.
Johnson's father, Corey Johnson, 37, of Uniontown, Fayette County was one of two men fatally shot Thursday at a Uniontown house.
Uniontown police continue to investigate the shooting.
The younger Johnson and his alleged accomplice, Anthony Blackwell, 20, of Pittsburgh, in the break-out both are in the Butler County Prison on escape charges. Johnson also is charged with criminal mischief.
The defendants are being held on $50,000 bail each.
Police said both men fled the youth facility about 7:30 p.m.
Blackwell was caught by Western PA staff a short distance from the center on Route 38.
Like Johnson, Blackwell offered police a confession and a motive.
“He admitted he was the decoy,” Clouse said.
Police suspect Johnson and Blackwell struck up a friendship at the facility, and when Johnson hatched his plan to escape, Blackwell agreed to help.
Both young men are accused of escaping out an exit door that Johnson had damaged. Police said he damaged the door throughout the day by pulling on the metal around the door and exposing alarm wires.
He eventually used a pair of children's scissors to cut the wires, which deactivated the alarm. Police did not know how he got the scissors.
Once outside, as they planned, Blackwell ran in one direction and Johnson ran the opposite way. Blackwell didn't get far.
“He said, 'I'm out of shape. I just gave up.'” Clouse said in recounting what the young man told authorities upon being captured.
He also acknowledged he made a bad decision.
“He said, 'I know what I did was wrong, but I thought it was worth it,'” Clouse said.Blackwell told police that he wanted to help Johnson get to his father's funeral.While on the run, Johnson tried hitching a ride from unsuspecting motorists on I-80. No one stopped, police said, and at least one motorist called 911, providing authorities with a description of the hitchhiker that matched Johnson's.Between six and 10 officers fanned out in hunting for Johnson. Emlenton and Parker police joined troopers from Franklin, Clarion and Butler in the manhunt.Police eventually caught Johnson, who was wearing only shorts, having discarded his facility-issued sweat suit and shoes. He was not injured except for the scratches he got from running through the woods.Authorities don't doubt the motive, ill advised as it was, that Johnson gave for breaking out.“I think that's the reason,” Clouse said, “but I think he was acting out of emotion because he wasn't given a definitive answer from (the center) if he would be allowed to attend his father's funeral.”Police said they later spoke to Western PA officials, who acknowledged they were still “making arrangements” for Johnson to go to the funeral.Asked about the escape, Joshua Shaw, a supervisor at Western PA Child Care, said Saturday morning, “My official response is no comment.”
