2 DJJ Teens Remain On the Run, Could Still Be in Columbia

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — It’s been more than 24 hours since Daetron Grant and Ritchie Hicks escaped DJJ custody. “We’ve notified relatives, we’ve notified victims, we’ve done everything humanly possibly to stay on top of it and get these young men back into custody,” says Kenneth Moses, Director of Rehabilitative Services at DJJ. Moses says the two aren’t believed to have gone far. “Based on tips thus far, they are still in the Columbia area,” says Moses. However, the danger they could pose isn’t exactly known. “The bottom line is we don’t know, I wish I could tell you definitely that they did not pose a harm, but that would not be accurate,” says Moses. In fact all officials do know is when the two escaped Monday morning from a transport van, they did not have any weapons with them. 18 year old Ja-Quan Brewton escaped with Grant and Hicks. However, he was captured Monday night around 9:00 o’clock at the Hot Spot on Farrow Road. “We had gotten notification that he was trying to get transportation back to the Spartanburg area,” says Moses. Officials say the arrest was over in less than five minutes. Brewton will now be charged as an adult and officials say Grant and HIcks will be as well, when captured and investigators don’t expect that to take very long. “Young people for the most part, as the leads come in and they get homesick and hungry because they have no money and they have no means of support we anticipate within the next several days,” says Moses. Brewton is expected in bond court next week, charges for the escape are not yet known at the adult level. As for Grant and Hicks, officials ask if you have any information that you call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.