By Lacie Morrison
lmorrison@mineralwellsindex.com
Mineral Wells police were summoned to the Corrections Corporation of America facility early Monday morning after a juvenile was discovered attempting to throw a duffel bag over the fence, officials reported.
According to police officials, they were dispatched at 2:23 a.m. to the pre-parole facility in the 700 block of Heintzelman Road where CCA guards had a 15-year-old boy detained.
The juvenile was reportedly attempting to throw a black duffel bag over the facility's north fence. Inside the bag, police said, were 200 packs of Bugler cigarettes, three bottles of cologne, four cigarette lighters and eight prepaid cell phones. Police officials said some of the devices had phone numbers already programmed in.
The youth allegedly told authorities someone from Houston paid him $1,000 to throw the bag across the fence; despite his reported attempts, he said the bag was too heavy.
Upon the guards' arrival, a woman driving a gray vehicle allegedly left the scene and law enforcement issued a bulletin on the vehicle. The driver was later stopped by the Parker County Sheriff's Office on a traffic stop and identified as a Houston resident. She was then released, police reported.
The juvenile was taken to the Mineral Wells police station where his mother was contacted at a motel in Weatherford, according to officials. The teenager was released and CCA kept the duffel bag “for their evidence,” police reported.
This is the second incident in recent weeks where a juvenile was found allegedly attempting to throw items over the facility's fence.
In August, a 14-year-old male was taken into custody near facility after authorities were notified of a “suspicious person” in the area.
According to Mineral Wells police reports, officers encountered two CCA personnel at approximately 11:36 p.m. who'd detained the youth in the 700 block of Hood Road. The juvenile was reportedly found in possession of two footballs that were cut and stuffed with contraband - two small bags containing a green leafy substance - one in each ball, 31 packs of Bugler tobacco, seven small cigars and two cell phones with chargers and SIM cards, officials said.
The Lancaster, Texas, youth was placed under arrest for possession of marijuana less than 2 ounces and then released to juvenile probation.
CCA's Public Information Officer Maria White explained in these situations, the local law enforcement is notified and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice picks up the contraband and investigates the case. She said she didn't know the status of either incident.
“It's in their [TDCJ] hands now,” she said.
