The Larimer County, Colo. community corrections department outlined changes to their procedures Thursday after a 15-year-old inmate, in custody for stealing a car, allegedly stole a corrections van while she was being transported to jail last month.
Police say Stephanie Huff stole the community corrections van when the driver left it running as he went inside a county facility to pick up another inmate.
Huff, shackled and handcuffed, squeezed through a security screen that separates the prisoners from the driver and jumped behind the wheel, driving off with the two boys in the back of the van and triggering an Amber Alert, police said. The keys to the cuffs and shackles were in the van, along with civilian clothing Huff had worn during her court appearance earlier in the day, police said.
In light of that incident, the county said it will now install mesh cages in addition to a security window.
"This will allow staff to communicate with juveniles during transport while leaving a secure barrier between the front and back seats," the Larimer County Human Resources and Department of Community Corrections said in a release.
The department will also institute a policy that says juveniles being transported should never be left unsupervised.
A new policy will also firmly state where handcuff and shackle keys are to be stored and that car keys should be removed from the ignition.
Huff and two juvenile males were being taken to the Platte Valley Youth Detention Center in Greeley when she stole the van from in front of the Hub, a youth screening facility run by community corrections, police said. Police recovered the stolen van and the two boys later that evening, but Huff eluded law enforcement agencies for more than 24 hours until she was captured in Evans.
The community corrections driver in the Nov. 5 incident has been reinstated on transportation duties, Larimer County officials said. The driver's involvement in the incident is still being reviewed by the community corrections department.
At the time of the escape, Huff was facing charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular eluding, and aggravated theft for a crash that killed 28-year-old Loveland woman. Police said Huff stole a pickup truck and after eluding police, crashed into a home, killing resident Shawna Rush.
Huff, who will be tried as an adult, could be sentenced to up to 48 years in prison and fined $1.75 million, if found guilty of all counts and given the maximum consecutive sentences. She may face additional charges in connection with her escape from custody. Larimer County said it will also provide more training for corrections drivers.