A missing 11-year-old boy was rescued from a registered Florida sex offender’s truck during a traffic stop — and a possible alleged teen “co-conspirator” in his kidnapping was also cuffed in a chaotic chase after snatching the car.
Darnell Hairston, a registered sex offender, was traveling in his vehicle on New Year’s Eve when an individual who knew his offender status reported seeing two juveniles riding in his car, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies eventually located Hairston and pulled him over for a traffic stop, where the two youngsters were separated from him.
The 11-year-old victim, who was reported missing three days earlier, was “clearly traumatized and in fear,” police said.
After placing the child safely in a patrol car, cops went to arrest Hairston, but he fled on foot from the scene, police said.
Hairston was caught and arrested shortly after, authorities added.
While Hairston was being cuffed, the other juvenile attempted to flee from the traffic stop by stealing Hairston’s Ford F-150.
The 15-year-old nearly hit a deputy on the roadway as he sped off with deputies close behind in pursuit, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
A deputy eventually passed the teen on the left and got in front of the car to try to stop him. The boy then entered the eastbound lane into oncoming traffic, re-entered the westbound lane, and “purposefully rammed into the deputy’s patrol vehicle,” cops said.
The collision caused both vehicles to crash into the woods, sending the teen’s car rolling, authorities added.
The boy, whose identity The Post is withholding due to his age, exited the vehicle and was quickly arrested by authorities. He was cuffed and hit with multiple charges, including grand theft of a motor vehicle, police said.
During the chase, another deputy lost control of his patrol vehicle and struck an automotive repair building.
Two deputies suffered minor injuries during the chaotic arrest, while the 15-year-old was unscathed.
The boy is “possibly a co-conspirator in the kidnapping with Hairston,” police wrote, noting he could face additional charges after the investigation. Authorities did not elaborate on his possible role in the kidnapping.
While interviewing the 11-year-old victim in the hospital, the child said he was lured to a wooded campsite in Flagler Estates, where Hairston allegedly “choked him until he lost consciousness,” police said.
After he regained consciousness, he was allegedly threatened with a knife and a firearm, tied up with shoelaces and an extension cord, and had duct tape placed over his mouth, cops revealed.
At one point, Hairston held him at the campsite for multiple days and forced him to travel on the floorboard of his truck while covered by a blanket, the child told authorities.
A search warrant on Hairston’s vehicle, his home in Hastings, and the campsite revealed multiple suspicious items, including duct tape, surveillance equipment, and weapons that matched the child’s statements.
On Friday, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Hairston for additional charges of kidnapping of a child under 13, aggravated child abuse, battery by strangulation, and robbery with a deadly weapon.
He had already been held in jail on a $125,000 bond for resisting an officer with violence and attempting to deprive a law enforcement officer of their firearm when he was hit with the slew of vile charges.
Hairston is now being held without bond, cops said.
“Clearly, thanks to ‘see something, say something’ and our deputies recognizing the victim was very afraid, we rescued a missing child who was in fear Hairston had planned to kill him,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement.
“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,” Staly continued.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, authorities said.
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