US Marshals offer $5,000 reward for information about each escapee from Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center

by: WFXRtv.com Digital Desk

Posted: Jul 17, 2020 / 12:48 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 17, 2020 / 12:52 PM EDT

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) — Federal authorities are offering thousands of dollars for the public’s assistance in finding two felons who escaped from a Virginia juvenile correctional center early Monday morning.

Virginia State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force are following up on multiple leads to track down 20-year-old Jabar A. Taylor of Washington, D.C., and 18-year-old Rashad E. Williams of Spotsylvania County, both of whom escaped the Department of Juvenile Justice’s (DJJ) Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center on Monday, July 13.

Taylor — convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and aggravated malicious assault — and Williams — convicted of malicious wounding and robbery — were reportedly going to be transferred to an adult Department of Corrections facility after their 21st birthdays.

However, early Monday morning, officials say the men used a cord to choke a security staff member, who briefly lost consciousness. According to authorities, Taylor and Williams took the staff member’s keys, escaped through a hole that cut in the security fence, and then got in a getaway car waiting outside the detention center.

Virginia State Police says two DJJ employees — identified as 23-year-old Destiny L. Harris and 42-year-old Darren Briggs — have been arrested this week and brought to Chesterfield County Jail in connection with the juveniles’ escape.

However, the U.S. Marshals Service believes the two men headed north since they have known ties to northern Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Maryland; Delaware; Pennsylvania; New Jersey; and New York. However, the pair also reportedly has ties to North Carolina. According to authorities, Taylor and Williams are believed to be together, but they may have separated by now.

“The danger posed by these fugitives and their escape should not be taken lightly by anyone,” said Nick E. Proffitt, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The fugitives went to great lengths to affect the escape, and they pose a significant threat to any law enforcement officer or member of the public who may encounter them.”

The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of each fugitive.

Anyone with information related to either escapee is encouraged to call 911, call the Virginia State Police at (804) 553-3445, or call the U.S. Marshals tip line at (877) 926-8332. You can also submit tips online at www.usmarshals.gov/tips.