Darnell Hairston, a 60-year-old convicted sex offender, is now facing additional charges including child kidnapping, aggravated child abuse, battery by strangulation, and armed robbery.
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — Arrested on New Year’s Eve in Flagler County, Hairston was discovered with a missing 11-year-old boy from St. Johns County during a routine traffic stop, as announced by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office on Friday.
The new accusations brought against Hairston involve the abduction of a child under the age of 13, alongside charges of severe child abuse, strangulation, and armed robbery, according to the FCSO.
The situation unfolded when officers conducted a traffic stop due to suspicious behavior, which led to the dramatic rescue of the missing child and the arrest of Hairston, along with a 15-year-old accomplice.
On December 31, 2025, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office responded to a citizen’s report of “suspicious activity,” prompting deputies to stop a vehicle on US-1 near Whiteview Parkway.
Hairston, identified as the truck driver, was found with the missing 11-year-old boy, and a 15-year-old was later arrested in connection with the incident.
During the stop, FCSO said the missing boy told deputies he had been kidnapped, was not safe, and expressed fear about being killed. The sheriff’s office said the boy was “clearly traumatized.”
After the missing juvenile was moved to a patrol car, bodycam video captured what happened as deputies turned their attention to Hairston and the 15-year-old, identified as Junior Bishop.
As seen on bodycam video, as a deputy approached Hairston and ordered him to put his hands behind his back, Hairston suddenly ran away. And he’s not the only one.
As Hairston ran into the right lane of US-1, he tripped before being tackled by deputies. While being restrained, the truck he was driving sped off, nearly running over a deputy’s leg. FCSO said Junior had jumped behind the wheel during the chaos.
A chase ensued along the highway, and then westbound on State Road 100, FCSO said.
Dashcam video shows a deputy’s car pass the truck on the left and get in front, attempting to force a stop. The truck then briefly crosses into the opposing lane before ramming the deputy’s car from the left, causing them both to crash into the treeline.
Another deputy also crashed during the pursuit, hitting an auto repair business in Bunnell. Two deputies suffered minor injuries, FCSO said.
Junior was arrested on numerous charges, including reckless driving, aggravated assault on law enforcement and aggravated fleeing, according to FCSO. Meanwhile, Hairston was originally arrested for resisting a deputy with violence and allegedly trying to take a deputy’s gun during the takedown.
FCSO said Friday that following Hairston’s arrest, deputies confirmed the missing boy had been reported missing three days earlier. He was reportedly taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
FCSO said its major case unit responded and interviewed the missing boy.
During the interview, the boy stated he had been lured to a wooded campsite in Flagler Estates where Hairston “choked him until he lost consciousness,” FCSO said in a release.
After regaining consciousness, the boy told detectives he was threatened with a knife and gun, FCSO said, adding that he had been tied up with shoelaces and an extension cord, and had duct tape placed over his mouth. The child further told detectives that Hairston held him at the campsite for multiple days and made him travel on the floorboard of his truck while being covered up by a blanket.
With assistance from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, FCSO said detectives conducted search warrants on Hairston’s vehicle, his residence in Hastings, and the campsite. From the three locations, detectives seized multiple items, including duct tape, video surveillance equipment, and weapons consistent with the child’s statements, according to officials.
Detectives from both FCSO and SJSO also conducted “extensive interviews” with Hairston. During one of the interviews, FCSO said detectives determined that Hairston knew the boy was missing and endangered, but “he could not explain any reason for keeping the child from his parents when he knew that law enforcement was actively searching for him.”
Detectives served an arrest warrant on Hairston with his new charges at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he was already being held on a $125,000 bond for his arrest, but is now being held without bond. He will be arraigned on the charges he was originally arrested for on Jan. 27 at 8:30 a.m., court records show.
As for Junior, the 15-year-old who was arrested, FCSO said Friday that he faces multiple charges, including grand theft of a motor vehicle, after fleeing from the traffic stop by stealing Hairston’s vehicle. The sheriff’s office said he is “possibly a co-conspirator in the kidnapping with Hairston,” and that he may be facing additional charges once the investigation is complete. He reportedly is in the custody of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, FCSO said.
