A Smithville man has been arrested and charged in two counties after allegedly harboring a runaway juvenile and hiding her from law enforcement.
DeKalb County Sherriff Patrick Ray said that 19-year-old Devon W. Yokeum of 274 Bluebird Trail, Smithville, was arrested on October 8, for harboring or hiding a 17-year-old runway juvenile female. Officials say that Yokeum had knowledge that the girl was a runaway and refused to answer the door at his residence when law enforcement arrived. He is under a $4,500 bond.
According to Sheriff Ray on Saturday, October 8, a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department deputy went to Yokeum’s home at Blue Bird Trail to look for a runaway juvenile. After knocking on the door and getting no answer, the deputies pinged Yokeum’s phone, which indicated that it was located in the area of the home. The runaway juvenile’s phone had also last pinged in the area of the same house the night before.
The Assistant District Attorney General was contacted and advised that the deputies had exigent circumstances to make entry. The DeKalb County deputy, the DeKalb Chief Deputy and a Putnam County Sheriff’s Department deputy then made entry.
Yokeum reportedly came down the stairs at that time and was placed under arrest. The Chief Deputy and the Putnam County deputy then went upstairs and located the juvenile hiding inside a mattress.
Yokeum is also facing charges in Putnam County from the same incident. According to the Herald-Citizen in Cookeville “the victim went to a movie with Yokeum. [The victim] asked to be taken to her own vehicle to enable her to return home,” the warrant said. “[Yokeum] refused to do as requested and instead took the victim to his residence in DeKalb County.”
The Herald-Citizen reports that warrants indicate that statements, made by both the victim and Yokeum, revealed that the victim had been held against her will. He had “hollowed out the bottom side of a mattress and [hid] her there until local law enforcement arrived looking for the victim.”
Yokeum is scheduled to appear in court in DeKalb County on October 27.
