Teen charged as adult after fleeing deputies investigating St. Johns County boy's kidnapping
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Authorities are currently investigating whether 15-year-old Junior Bishop played a role in the abduction of an 11-year-old child. Bishop faces charges following an incident where he attempted to evade law enforcement officers.

In FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla., a 15-year-old boy captured on video attempting to escape from deputies after being found in a vehicle with a missing child and a known sex offender is now facing charges as an adult.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced this development on Sunday, which comes over two weeks after the missing child from St. Johns County was safely recovered.

Junior Bishop, a resident of Hastings, was apprehended after a traffic stop on December 31 along U.S.-1, leading to his current charges.

According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle was halted after a report of suspicious behavior. Inside, deputies discovered Bishop, the missing 11-year-old, and 60-year-old Darnell Hairston, a registered sex offender.

Dashcam video shows that as deputies worked to get Hairston into custody, Bishop jumped into the driver’s seat of the truck and sped off, later resulting in a chase and violent crash with a deputy. 


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.

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