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Families urge alerts, stricter custody after fatal crash tied to juveniles who escaped Gateway Center
Summary
During public input at the Blount County workshop, family members and neighbors described repeated escapes from the Helen Ross McNabb Gateway Center in Alcoa and urged local officials to implement notification systems and stricter custody to prevent future tragedies.
Family members of Madison Law and neighbors addressed the Blount County Commission during public input, saying two juveniles who escaped the Helen Ross McNabb Gateway Center in Alcoa stole vehicles and later struck and killed Law on March 21, 2024. Speakers urged local authorities and the facility to notify nearby residents when residents escape and to take stronger custody measures.
Gary Hosey, who identified himself as the father of the deceased, described the sequence he was told by investigators: two juveniles “escaped the Helen Ross McNabb Gateway Center, stole a vehicle, rode around drinking all night, ran a red light, and hit her in the side doing 73 miles per hour.” A family member, Cassandra (last name not provided), said the juveniles were “on the run from 10PM till the next morning at 05:45 when they killed my daughter,” and that “if there had been a text alert that went out that night to the community to be on the lookout for 2 boys, it could have possibly been a different outcome.”
Neighbors described repeated property crimes they said followed facility escapes. Dwayne Easter said within weeks of the fatal crash two men who had escaped from Gateway stole and totaled a nearby vehicle; Maxine Prater said her car was totaled and that she has not received updates.
Speakers asked the commission to consider local alerts and improved reporting by the facility and law enforcement so neighborhoods can be warned when residents of secured juvenile programs abscond. Cassandra referenced an idea she called “Maddie's Isle” but said that proposal may require state-level action; she and others asked the county to begin with a local alert protocol.
Authorities and background mentioned at the meeting
Speakers referenced the Helen Ross McNabb Gateway Center in Alcoa, the Alcoa Police Department, and the district attorney's office. Cassandra said the victims were treated at the University of Tennessee hospital (UT) and that police testimony in court revealed prior escapes had not been reported to neighbors.
Ending
No formal action or referral was recorded during the workshop. Commission staff offered to meet with speakers after the meeting to discuss next steps and who in county government could follow up with law enforcement and state partners.
