Man with gun helps Mo. juvenile inmate escape

SPANISH LAKE, Mo. (AP) -- A 16-year-old inmate at a state-operated juvenile facility in St. Louis County escaped with the help of two men, including one with a gun, authorities said Tuesday.

St. Louis County Police spokesman Rick Eckhard said a woman who works at the Missouri Hills juvenile facility was entering about 11:30 p.m. Monday. An armed man entered as she did, and a second, unarmed, man also came in.

Eckhard told STLtoday.com, the Web site for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that the second man stood watch at the doorway as the armed man and the female employee went through the building.

The armed man asked for the 16-year-old, who was being held on a property offense. The two men and the teen then ran away.

Eckhard said it wasn't certain if the teen went voluntarily. "But there's no indication that he was under duress," he said.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, www.stltoday.com.