A mom was arrested after allegedly helping her teen child escape from a juvenile detention center in South Carolina. A 16-year-old escaped on August 31, 2025, from the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia. The teen was later found in their mother’s vehicle and taken back into custody.
Savannah Mills, the teenager’s mom, has since been arrested and charged with aiding the escape of a prisoner, WRDW reported. She was booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia. As of September 1, she remained behind bars on a $10,000 bond.
Additionally, the teen was charged with escape and returned to the juvenile facility, Fox Carolina reported. Because of juvenile privacy laws, department officials could not disclose the reason for the teen’s initial arrest.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department, the city of Columbia Police Department, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division assisted in the case. No other details pertaining to the situation have been released.
Although parents weren’t involved, a different case of teens escaping from juvenile detention happened in Texas in December 2024. Two 16-year-olds and a 15-year-old allegedly stole keys and knocked a guard unconscious at Rite of Passage Juvenile Detention Center in Brownwood, NBC Dallas-Forth Worth reported.
They then stole a pickup truck and two guns from a nearby ranch before carrying out an armed robbery at a gas station in Dublin. Ultimately, the escaped teenagers were arrested after stealing an SUV and continuing to elude police.
Three other teens escaped from a Pennsylvania juvenile detention center in May, stole a car, and were apprehended in Washington, DC.
