Delegate urges new approach to repeat runaways after police calls surge at group home

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A Maryland lawmaker says the state needs to take a more aggressive approach to protecting foster children who repeatedly go missing from residential facilities, warning that vulnerable young people could be exposed to trafficking, exploitation and other serious dangers.

Delegate Mike Griffith, a Republican representing portions of Harford and Cecil counties, told FOX45 News he has been working on potential solutions during the legislative interim.

His concerns follow a FOX45 News In Depth investigation into a dramatic increase in police calls associated with Arrow’s Crossroads Community, a residential treatment program in Harford County serving young women in Maryland’s foster care system.

“When these foster kids go missing, the state is the ward, is the guardian for these individuals, and they should take kids going missing as seriously as you or I would if our kids went missing,” Griffith said.

Griffith argued that notifying law enforcement should not be the extent of the state’s response.

“I know if my kid went missing, I would exhaust every means necessary from social media to the internet, whatever I could do,” he said.

Records obtained by FOX45 News from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office show 45 calls for service associated with Arrow’s Crossroads Community in 2024, 66 in 2025 and 251 through October 17, 2026.

The Sheriff’s Office also reported that 13 residents accounted for 136 missing-person-related calls this year, representing more than half of the facility’s total calls for service.

Sheriff’s Office officials told FOX45 that some residents repeatedly leave the facility, sometimes traveling outside Harford County.

Captain David McDougall confirmed that allegations of child sex trafficking involving residents who left Arrow have prompted documented investigations.

“There have absolutely been investigations, documented investigations,” McDougall said.

Del. Griffith said those concerns illustrate why the state needs to treat repeated unauthorized departures differently from isolated incidents.

“It’s not just a matter of a kid running away. It’s a matter of a kid being trafficked or being lured out,” Del. Griffith said. “These kids are very vulnerable. They’re in a very vulnerable situation. And now that they have cell phones, they can contact anybody at any time, and any predator can get ahold of them.”

Del. Griffith warned that authorities should not automatically assume a missing resident has simply left to visit friends or a romantic partner.

“Something tragic, something tragic, could be happening to these kids,” he said.

Del. Griffith said Maryland should distinguish between children who occasionally leave a foster care placement without authorization and those who repeatedly do so.

“I think we need to take a very serious approach to flight risks,” he said. “It’s a small number of kids that cause the overwhelming number of reports of runaway children.”

He suggested that children who repeatedly leave residential facilities may require additional supervision and individualized safety measures. Del. Griffith also raised concerns about situations in which residents encourage others to leave with them.

“We need to find solutions to make sure that we separate kids and maybe starting to form groups and run away together,” he said. “Then we need to separate those kids and put them in different facilities.”

His comments follow similar concerns raised by Captain Mark Fox of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.

Fox previously told FOX45 that some residents who repeatedly leave Arrow have encouraged others to accompany them. He said that behavior can be a warning sign of exploitation, although it does not establish that trafficking occurred.

Del. Griffith said the state should consider additional security measures for children identified as being at particularly high risk.

“Sometimes we got to make sure these kids have an extra level of security for their own safety,” he said.

The lawmaker’s position differs from the approach described by Arrow Child and Family Ministries and the Maryland Department of Human Services during FOX45’s original investigation.

Jennifer McLaughlin-Renault, senior vice president of Maryland programs for Arrow, said the organization believes the young women it accepts are appropriately placed.

“We have incredibly thorough admission criteria. Everybody we have admitted is appropriate for our program,” McLaughlin-Renault said.

Arrow maintains that Crossroads is a nonsecure residential treatment program, not a detention facility.

McLaughlin-Renault said the organization has changed its procedures to notify police immediately when a resident leaves without permission, which may help explain the increase in calls for service.

She also said Arrow develops individualized safety plans, provides therapy and can increase supervision when residents return.

Alger Studstill, executive director of Maryland’s Social Services Administration, similarly defended the state’s approach to placement decisions.

“One episode or even multiple episodes doesn’t mean that the provider isn’t the best place,” Studstill told FOX45.

When asked whether children who repeatedly leave should be placed in facilities where they cannot continue running away, Studstill rejected the suggestion.

“Absolutely not. We do not want to have young people in foster care detained as though they’re a criminal,” he said.

Studstill emphasized that foster children often enter state care after experiencing abuse, neglect or other trauma and should not be treated as though they have committed crimes.

He acknowledged the safety risks associated with unauthorized departures but said the state must balance those risks with the rights and treatment needs of the children.

DHS says it has updated its missing-child procedures, including prompt law enforcement notification and additional coordination among agencies.

The Sheriff’s Office has also filed three complaints with DHS concerning Arrow since April 2025. Studstill confirmed that DHS officials have met with law enforcement and Arrow representatives, although he did not detail the findings of those complaints during his interview.

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