A Florida man is behind bars after police say they found an 11-year-old, reported missing from St. John’s County, inside the suspect’s truck on December 31.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, someone familiar with convicted sex offender Darnell Hairston contacted police after spotting two children in his truck.
Deputies then pulled Hairston over on U.S. Highway 1, close to Whiteview Drive in Bunnell. They found an 11-year-old inside Hairston’s Ford F-150 and learned the victim had been held against his will for several days, WESH 2 reports.
Hairston attempted to flee the scene by foot, but after a brief struggle, deputies apprehended him.
“The deputy quickly secured the child in the safety of their patrol vehicle and went to detain Hairston, but he tried to flee on foot,” a statement by the sheriff’s office read.
“Hairston was arrested shortly after for resisting an officer with violence and attempting to deprive a law enforcement officer of their firearm.”
The boy told police he had feared for his life and that Hairston choked him until he passed out, after luring him to a wooded area near Flagler Estates. Afterward, Hairston allegedly put duct around his mouth, and tied him up with an extension cord and shoelaces.
Hairsten threatened the victim with a knife and a firearm, according to investigators. Hairston then hid him on the truck’s floorboard, covered with a blanket.
Police also found a 15-year-old male inside the truck, who had been separated from Hairston while they conducted interviews. The teen allegedly got into Hairston’s truck and tried to flee the scene, but ended up crashing into a patrol car.
The 15-year-old is now facing “multiple charges,” the sheriff’s office said. He’s currently in the custody of Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and being investigated as Hairston’s potential co-conspirator.
Both children were reportedly part of a Snapchat group, in the which the youngest victim allegedly warned others that Hairston was a child predator.
“Hairston thought this individual had information that could put him away in prison. And that resulted in him and Junior Bishop, the 15-year-old, concocting a plot to lure this 11-year-old into a rural area of Flagler County,” Sheriff Rick Staly told Channel 9.
Hairston is now facing additional charges that include kidnapping of a child under 13, aggravated child abuse, battery by strangulation, and robbery with a deadly weapon.
“In the hours after Hairston was initially arrested, our team put in a tremendous amount of effort on this investigation — working throughout the day, night, and well into the early hours of New Year’s Day — as they followed every lead, processed multiple crime scenes, and conducted interviews to make sure this child was protected and this pervert would be arrested for the crimes he committed,” Staley said in a release.
Hairston was previously convicted on three counts of false imprisonment and lewd or lascivious offenses with a child.
His arrest history also includes, in part, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, cruelty toward wife, and assault/battery.
Hairston remains behind bars without bond. He’s scheduled for a court hearing on January 27.
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[Feature Photo via Flagler County SO]
