A registered sex offender is facing additional charges after Flagler County detectives say he strangled an 11-year-old boy, tied him up and forced him to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana for three days at a campsite.
Flagler County deputies found an 11-year-old missing from St. Johns County when they pulled over 60-year-old Darnell Hairston on U.S. 1 on New Year’s Eve.
Authorities received a tip that Hairston, a known sex offender, had been seen with two teenage girls.
During the traffic stop, the 11-year-old told deputies he had been kidnapped, and that he believed Hairston was going to kill him. As deputies attempted to arrest Hairston, body camera video showed Hairston running and trying to grab the deputy’s gun, only to be later tackled by deputies.
As deputies were making the arrest, deputies say 15-year-old Junior Bishop took off at Hairston’s truck, nearly hitting a deputy. Bishop later collided with the deputy’s cruiser.
A recently released arrest affidavit says the 11-year-old victim was in a Snapchat group chat with Junior Bishop. The report says the victim told Bishop about sexual assault on her friend that Sheriff Rick Staley says Darnell Hairston may have been involved in.
“Hairston had information that could put him in jail. And as a result, he and Junior Bishop, 15, conspired to lure this 11-year-old boy to a rural area of Flagler County,” Staley told Channel 9.
The report said the victim met Bishop near Frederick Street and East Deep Creek Boulevard and later walked into the woods nearby. There, the victim said he saw blankets, pillows, beer, camping chairs and a large kitchen knife. The report said “Darnell [Hairston] Then came up behind the victim and pressed him to the point where he couldn’t make a sound or breathe and quickly blacked out.
The victim said that when she woke up, they tied her mouth with tape and shoelaces and extension cords. Reports said he was fed alcohol and marijuana.
The victim told investigators that, when they left the campsite, she was forced to travel with a blanket the entire time.
The report said Hairston told investigators he knew the 11-year-old boy was missing from St. Johns County but could not tell investigators why he never told the victim’s parents. Hairston claimed to investigators that he just wanted to go fishing with the victim.
The report said Hairston knew the victim because he fixed ATVs in the St. Johns County area. Deputies are now thanking a caller who reported they saw Hairston, a sex offender, with two children.
“He potentially saved this kid’s life, and that’s pretty amazing. It just goes to show you if you see something, I mean literally call it out, say something,” Chief Assistant Joe Bareilly said.
“My detectives, and I’ve been briefed on this case, I think we all believed he was going to die that night. And our victim felt the same way. He was really scared,” said Sheriff Rick Staley.
On Friday, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Hairston for kidnapping of a child under 13, child abuse, battery by strangulation, and robbery with a deadly weapon. Detectives served the warrant at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where Hairston was already being held on a $125,000 bond pending his arrest. Now he is in prison without trial.
Bishop is currently in the custody of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Sheriff Staley says Bishop may face additional charges but he is not cooperating with their investigation.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
