HANCOCK COUNTY — Officials with the Hancock County Probation Department are in the midst of securing a new home for county juveniles who offend and must be held in custody.
Officials with the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center, which is managed and operated by the Youth Opportunity Center in Delaware County, have informed local officials they will no longer be able to provide services for Hancock County juveniles due to staffing issues as soon as 2023.
The split has left county officials scrambling to find a new home for troubled teens.
Hancock County Circuit Court Judge Scott Sirk oversees the local probation department for the county courts and said the decision by Delaware County caught the county off guard.
“We thought we were good with the folks in Delaware County, but they decided they were no longer going to offer us services,” Sirk said. “This came as a surprise to us so we’re in the process of adjusting to that.”