BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Officials are planning to open a shelter at the Benton County juvenile detention center for teenage boys who need a place to stay.
The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the Alternative Placement Adolescent Center in Bentonville will house eight boys between ages 13 to 17, and that they can live there for up to 90 days.
Benton County’s chief probation officer, Drew Shover, says the boys staying at the shelter won’t mix with the teens held in the detention facility. He notes that juveniles with a history of violent or sexual crimes and those with gang affiliations aren’t eligible for the program.
Parents are required to sign the youths in and the boys won’t be court-ordered into staying at the facility.
Shover says the shelter should open by May 3.
