Juveniles arrested after leaving youth camp

Two juvenile inmates at China Spring Youth Camp were back in custody Monday about 15 hours after they walked away from the detention facility south of Gardnerville.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office reported that the two boys - a 15-year-old from Storey County and a 14-year-old from Sun Valley - were arrested at 8:30 a.m. at the Bank Parlor and Pub on Esmeralda Avenue in Minden.

Sgt. Tom Mezzetta said the boys walked away from the camp in the Pine Nut Mountains about 6 p.m. Sunday.

He said they were spotted in a pasture heading toward Stodieck Park in Gardnerville.

Mezzetta said they were arrested at the Minden coffee shop where they were trying to use a cell phone to call a parent.

He said their clothes and shoes were muddy and wet. They told officers they slept part of the night in a field and kept to the agricultural land to avoid being caught.

They were released to the custody of the county Juvenile Probation Office.

China Spring director Steve Thaler said a determination will be made whether to allow the boys to stay at the camp.

"Every now and then kids walk away from the facility. They make it into town and the sheriff's office picks them up," Thaler said.

"We're not a secure facility, that's why we don't take violent offenders," Thaler said.

"Kids are here because they made poor choices and sometimes they continue to do that once they get here," he said.

n The Douglas County Sheriff's Office reported 20 contacts for domestic violence April 26-May 2.

Ten contacts were verbal domestics with four arrests for domestic battery, two referrals to the District Attorney for review or prosecution, one referral for a protection order violation, two pending protection order violations and one pending domestic battery.

Twelve juveniles witnessed domestic violence.

The Family Support Council submitted two requests to East Fork Justice Court for temporary protection orders with two approvals.

Three requests were made for anti-stalking and harassment orders with one approval and two denials.

Connie Richardson, sheriff's office domestic violence prevention coordinator, said the average range for adult contacts is 12-14 for this time of year.

The average number of children witnessing domestic violence is 9-11 per week with juvenile suspects at 0-2.