2 Sent to Prison for 2024 Escape at MacLaren Youth Facility

Escaped Youth from MacLaren Facility Receive Prison Sentences

Two men who escaped from the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn in 2024 have been sentenced to prison. The facility, which is part of the Oregon Youth Authority, is the largest of its kind in the state. On February 18, 2024, at approximately 9:12 p.m., three individuals managed to flee the facility. The escape involved Xavier Swimm, Angel Diaz-Barrera, and Julian Diaz-Navarro.

The three individuals were arrested over the following months and returned to custody. While all faced charges, only two were specifically charged for the escape. Diaz-Barrera, 20, was apprehended on September 4, 2024, after escaping. He and his half-brother, Julian Diaz-Navarro, also 20, were indicted in June 2024 for a 2021 assault in Washington County. Both are from Salem.

Diaz-Barrera was in custody at MacLaren for robbery and carrying a concealed weapon. Court records show he had previous juvenile charges for menacing, harassment, assault, and coercion. Diaz-Navarro was held for unlawful use of a weapon, robbery, and menacing. His record includes charges for carrying a concealed weapon, attempted murder, disorderly conduct, unlawful possession of marijuana, and criminal mischief.

According to court records, the brothers were members of the Norteño gang in Salem. In July 2021, they encountered a rival gang member, also a juvenile, in Washington Square Mall in Tigard and got into a fight. They were accused of hitting the juvenile with a specialty bat, stabbing him, and kicking him. The brothers were identified on video footage by their OYA counselor.

Diaz-Barrera pleaded guilty on July 1 to second-degree assault and second-degree robbery and was sentenced to nearly six years in prison. He is currently in custody at the Oregon State Penitentiary. He was also indicted in February for second-degree escape and first-degree criminal mischief. He pleaded guilty on July 1 to first-degree criminal mischief, and the second-degree escape charge was dismissed.

Charging documents indicate that Diaz-Barrera destroyed a window at MacLaren. He received a nine-month sentence for that incident, which will be served concurrently with his other sentence. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $6,680.76 in restitution to OYA.

Diaz-Navarro, who was not charged for the escape, was found guilty on July 3 of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, third-degree assault, second-degree robbery, and unlawful use of a weapon after a three-day trial for the Washington Square Mall incident. He was acquitted of two counts of first-degree robbery. Diaz-Navarro was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison and is currently in custody at the Oregon State Correctional Institution.

Swimm, 22, of Portland, was arrested on May 8, 2024, in Idaho. In February, he was indicted on charges of second-degree escape and first-degree criminal mischief. He pleaded guilty on July 16 to second-degree escape, and the criminal mischief charge was dismissed. Swimm was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

In a separate incident, Swimm pleaded guilty in July 2024 to assaulting a staff member at the Rogue Valley Youth Correctional Facility on May 30, 2024. Court documents allege he threw a chair at the staff member. He received a sentence of about two years and is in custody at the Snake River Correctional Institution. His earliest release date is in 2026.

At the time of the escape, the Oregon Youth Authority declined to share details of how the youth escaped for safety and security reasons. Following the escape, OYA implemented several measures to enhance security. These included adding a gate on the road connecting MacLaren to Highway 99, installing a speedbump on the same road, and increasing security for visitors and staff. Additional 24/7 contracted security was added around the perimeter, and the windows on the units from which the three escaped were reinforced.

Isabel Funk covers breaking news and public safety for the Statesman Journal. Funk can be reached at ifunk@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @isabeldfunk.