Possible outbreak in Long Creek, nearby car theft under investigation, police say

South Portland police are investigating a possible outbreak at Maine’s only youth prison, the second this year, amid unrest at the Long Creek Youth Development Center.

A police spokesman said officers responded to reports of an attempted escape from the facility around 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

A few minutes later, police received a separate report of a violent robbery in a parking lot at 10 Liberty Lane, near the center.

Two young male suspects allegedly stole a white Honda Civic with license plate 401BBK and fled the scene. Police said the suspects threatened a victim with a firearm, although no weapon was visible.

Police are asking anyone who sees the vehicle to not approach it and to report it by calling 911.

The incident occurred about six months after an attempted escape from Long Creek and amid reports of staff shortages, unsafe working conditions for employees and quality of life issues for the facility’s young residents.

In late January, nine boys attempted to escape from Long Creek with improvised weapons, but they were unable to leave the fenced-in area. No one was injured in the incident, police said.

A few days later, Long Creek staff sent a letter to the Maine Department of Corrections describing the staffing situation at the facility as a “crisis.”

There were 156 incidents of violence at the facility in the second half of 2023 – including fights and attacks on workers – and staff said in the letter that labour shortages left them ill-equipped to deal with the challenges. They said scheduling issues, declining recruitment and retention rates, and unsafe working conditions and unsuitable working hours had led to the shortages.

In February, a group of criminal defense attorneys representing juveniles at Long Creek said frequent incidents of property damage had led to 23-hour curfews at the facility and limited attorneys’ ability to help their clients.

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