Johnson County numbers holding steady as department develops strategies to deter repeat incidents

A child runs away from a home in Johnson County about once every three days, but even more cases are never reported to police because the child returns home.

About 120 children across the county run away from home every year, according to the Johnson County Juvenile Probation Department. Police say even more cases go unreported.

The runaways often return home on their own after a few days, but police sometimes hunt them down and detain them so their parents can pick them up. Such cases get referred to the juvenile probation department, which provides counseling and other programs aimed at preventing children from running off again.

Countywide, the number of reported runaways has remained steady, going from 123 in 2009 to 117 last year, juvenile probation officer Libby Mudd said.

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