Juveniles assault staff and seize keys at Cabarrus Juvenile Detention Center

CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — Two juveniles at the Cabarrus Juvenile Detention Center assaulted a staff member, took his keys, and unlocked rooms for other youths who then began fighting on Oct. 10.

Staff members brought the situation under control in approximately 9 minutes.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety confirmed the incident occurred in an area of the facility used to hold juveniles facing charges in adult court.

The assaulted employee was treated and has returned to work, while the juveniles involved were evaluated for injuries and did not require transportation for medical treatment.

State officials reported that during the disruption, the juveniles locked the staff member in a room and broke his radio after seizing his keys. Following the incident, the state agency conducted a review of facility operations.

“This incident has been fully debriefed and analyzed to identify possible security weaknesses during the event, and an action plan has been put in place to prevent future incidents,” state officials said in a statement.

Frank Crawford is a representative with the Children’s Alliance, an organization that advocates for youth. Crawford noted that housing juvenile offenders together creates inherent security risks for facilities.

“Unfortunately, when you have a facility that is housing youngsters who have broken the law, you know, it’s a risk when you get populations like that together that incidents like this happen sometimes,” Crawford said.

Crawford said additional state resources could help facilities manage juvenile populations more effectively.

“We always say that if the legislature would allocate for positions to the division, they would be able to staff it a little more,” Crawford said.

He emphasized that proper staffing and specialized preparation are critical factors in maintaining security.

“Any time you can get more staff there, who are trained to work with these kids, then you lessen the likelihood of something like this happening,” Crawford said.

The October disturbance marks the second key-theft incident at the facility in recent years.

Two years ago, a group of youths took a staff member’s keys, unlocked other rooms, and took over a pod for just under an hour before returning to their rooms.

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