News4Jax received a tip from a viewer Wednesday morning that St. Johns Youth Academy in St. Augustine shut down and the kids were being shipped out.
News4JAX has not been able to confirm if the St Johns Youth Academy shut down after multiple calls to the facility, the Department of Juvenile Justice Communications Office, and even the St. Johns County sheriff’s office.
We tried to ring the bell at the box on the St. Johns Youth Academy gate – but no answer. Someone from the Department of Juvenile Justice was at the building but didn’t want to comment. The parking lot to the Youth Academy was empty except for cars parked on the other side. News4JAX tried stopping one of the cars that was leaving – but they wouldn’t tell us anything.
News4JAX called an organization that frequently works with youth at the academy. They said they didn’t know about the closing.Once we hear back from the DJJ we will update this story.