HASTINGS, Fla. — A judge this week sentenced a 61-year-old Hastings man, who is a registered sex offender, to 30 years in prison for kidnapping and abusing an 11-year-old boy in December.
Darnell Hairston was convicted in August of kidnapping, aggravated child abuse, strangulation, robbery and other charges. He was being caught after a successful community-wide search for the boy.
Sixteen-year-old Junior Bishop, an alleged accomplice, remains in jail after being charged as an adult for armed kidnapping, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, and grand theft of a motor vehicle.
“This was one of the most successful ‘See Something, Say Something’ cases we’ve ever had,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. “It led to the recovery of a missing child and the next three decades behind bars for the sex offender that was responsible.”
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Deputies arrested the pair after dispatchers received information about Hairston traveling with two juveniles inside his vehicle.
During a traffic stop, the child told deputies they had been kidnapped, were not safe, and believed they would be killed if deputies did not intervene.
The 11-year-old victim was clearly traumatized and in fear.
“I commend the heroic citizen who saw something suspicious and reported it, everyone on our team who contributed during this investigation, and our partners at the State Attorney’s Office who prosecuted this case to ensure this monster got the prison sentence he deserved,” Staly said
Hairston is being held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he has been held without bond since his arrest. He is awaiting transfer to Florida Department of Corrections custody.
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