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Lockout lifted at Southwest Laurens Elementary; suspect still at large

After Seymour Prather, 20, escaped from Teen Challenge, the school was placed on a lockout for precautionary reasons. Prather is still not in custody

UPDATE, 6:15 p.m.

The man who escaped from Teen Challenge on Highway 441 in Laurens County Thursday morning is still at large.

Seymour Prather, 20, caused Southwest Laurens Elementary School to go into a lockout Thursday after escaping from the center.

Laurens County Sheriff's Office says Prather has probation violation warrants in Forsyth County.

Forsyth County was picking Prather up from the center when Laurens County says he ran into the woods.

The Laurens County Sheriff's Office, Georgia State Patrol and other agencies assisted in searching for Prather.

Teen Challenge is an addiction treatment center for young men in Laurens County.

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UPDATE, 12:40 p.m.

Clarification: Previously we reported Southwest Laurens Elementary school was on lockdown.

Associate Superintendent of Laurens County Schools Ronda Hightower clarified to us that the school was on a 'lockout,' which means students were kept inside while staff and faculty were outside securing the property.

This was done as a precautionary measure, because a student escaped from the Teen Challenge Center near the school.

The school released a statement from Principal Lee Collins on their Facebook page.

Hightower says the situation was cleared in 30 minutes and dismissal will proceed as normal.

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Southwest Laurens Elementary School in Laurens County is on lockdown.

A Laurens County Sheriff's Office Facebook Post says a it happened after a suspect with outstanding warrants ran from deputies on foot around the Hwy 441 near the Teen Challenge Men's Center.

The school is only on lockdown for cautionary reasons as the area is several miles away from the school.

The school is located on Highway 117 in South Laurens.

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