Boys try to escape from juvenile detention

The Daily Inter Lake

Two 16-year-old boys unsuccessfully tried to escape late Tuesday night from the county's juvenile detention center on South Main Street in Kalispell.

The boys, whose names were not released, allegedly assaulted a detention officer during a routine transfer to another cell, Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan said.

After stealing the detention officer's keys, the boys tried to escape but were foiled by inside doors with keypad locks. The pair never made it outside the facility, Meehan said.

By the time additional detention officers arrived minutes later, the boys already had returned to their cell and surrendered the set of keys. Sheriff's deputies and Kalispell police also responded.

The detention officer allegedly assaulted did not need medical treatment.

The boys - one of whom was incarcerated for misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and the other being held as a runway, also a misdemeanor - are being held on suspicion of felony attempted escape and felony assault on a detention officer pending formal charges from the Flathead County Attorney's Office.