ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A Florida Amber Alert was issued and then quickly canceled on Tuesday night for 6-year-old Reid Payne.
The alert initially reported that Reid Payne was last seen in the area of the 1400 block of North Whitney Street in St. Augustine.
Reid Payne was reported as being in the company of Catherine Payne, who is a deputy with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and the mother of Reid. For the past several weeks, however, Payne has been on leave from SJSO.
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The alert was issued just before 8 p.m. by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and was canceled less than 25 minutes later. Action News has learned the alert was issued due to a custody dispute in which the father believed Catherine Payne was acting outside of their agreement.
According to SJSO Media Relations Officer Kevin Kelshaw, Catherine Payne and Reid Payne were located in the state of Florida.
Kelshaw said it is a custody issue and since it is a civil issue, no one from SJSO will be speaking further on the matter.
Document: FDLE's issuing, cancellation of Reid Payne Amber Alert
The Florida Highway Patrol has confirmed that the child's father is an FHP trooper, but Sgt. Dylan Bryan said that information is "irrelevant" and FHP had no part in the issuing of the Amber Alert.
Bryan said FHP doesn't know the circumstances of the alert being issued or why it met criteria for an Amber Alert to be issued.
"This is a personal matter currently being handled appropriately through the courts," Bryan said.
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