Authorities are currently investigating whether 15-year-old Junior Bishop played a role as an accomplice in the abduction of an 11-year-old. After an attempt to evade law enforcement, charges have been filed against him.
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — Captured on video running from officers, a teenager is now facing charges as an adult. He was found in a vehicle with a missing child and a known sex offender.
This announcement from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office came on Sunday, two weeks after the safe recovery of the missing St. Johns County youngster.
Junior Bishop, hailing from Hastings, finds himself facing charges stemming from incidents following a traffic stop on U.S.-1 on December 31.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office reported that the vehicle was stopped after a report of suspicious behavior. Inside, deputies found Bishop, the abducted child, and 60-year-old Darnell Hairston, who is a registered sex offender.
Dashcam footage reveals that during Hairston’s arrest, Bishop seized the opportunity to jump into the truck’s driver’s seat and take off, leading to a high-speed pursuit that ended in a collision with a deputy’s vehicle.
He faces several charges as an adult, including fleeing and eluding at a reckless speed and aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer — two first-degree felonies. If convicted, each charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison.
“This kid was already on probation for a violent offense when he committed these new felony crimes,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a news release. “I commend and support our State Attorney for charging Bishop as an adult because of the seriousness of his crimes. Frankly, if you commit serious adult felonies as a juvenile, especially when you are already on probation, you should expect to be held accountable as an adult. This is especially true when your actions could have seriously injured a deputy sheriff.”
Hairston was charged with kidnapping, battery by strangulation, aggravated child abuse and more in relation to the case. FCSO said Sunday it was still investigating whether Bishop could have been a co-conspirator in the kidnapping.
Bishop is being held in the Volusia County Branch Jail on a $133,000 bond, FCSO said.
