(Update 11:43-a.m.) Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports three male students from the Clarinda Academy absconded from campus late this morning. A search was underway. Each of the students are about five-feet nine- to five-feet 11-inches tall. One of the teens is white. He was wearing blue jeans and white & black jacket. The others are African American males. One was wearing camouflage clothing, the other white pants with a white hoodie.

Two students who absconded from the Clarinda Academy Monday evening, meanwhile, are still at large. Chief Brothers said Tuesday, authorities believe both teens are now out of the area. Two vehicles were stolen from Clarinda overnight Monday into early Tuesday morning: A Chevrolet S10 pickup and a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Officials think the students took the vehicles.

The matter remains under investigation. Law enforcement in Iowa and surrounding states have been alerted to the missing students & the stolen vehicles. The Clarinda Academy has had a number of incidents where students escaped, or “Absconded” from the center for at-risk youth the first three months of this year. On Jan. 20th, two white 16-year old males escaped but were caught after the stolen vehicle they were in crashed, during a high-speed chase. Four male students also absconded from the facility on Feb. 24th. They were apprehended the same day.