FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Last week, Flagler County deputies apprehended a registered sex offender after discovering him behind the wheel with a missing child he is accused of kidnapping and abusing.

In the same vehicle, authorities also detained a 15-year-old, who is now under investigation to determine if further charges will be filed against him.

The teenager was charged with vehicle theft and for leading officers on a chase. Officials suspect he played a role in enticing the 11-year-old victim to the sex offender.

Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly noted that the teen’s refusal to cooperate is complicating the investigation and leaving many questions unanswered.

[WATCH: Flagler County traffic stop results in chaotic car crash, according to the sheriff’s office]

“The fifteen-year-old claimed his Fifth Amendment right immediately. He’s not giving us any information,” Staly said.

The missing child, an 11-year-old boy from St. John’s County, was rescued after telling deputies he was tied up, drugged, and given alcohol by the registered sex offender, Darnell Hairston.

Sheriff Staly shared video from the New Year’s Eve traffic stop on U.S. 1, showing Hairston running from deputies and trying to grab a deputy’s gun.

At the same time, the 15-year-old jumped back into the truck and led deputies on a chase, ramming a patrol car before crashing.

“My detectives and I fully believe he was a co-conspirator in the kidnapping, but it’s going to take further investigation to build that case,” Staly said.

The sheriff revealed the victim was in a Snapchat group chat with the teen. The boy said in the chat that he thought Hairston sexually assaulted his friend, which deputies say led the teen to help lure the boy to Hairston.

The boy said Hairston choked him until he passed out, then tied him up with duct tape over his mouth.

“The child truly felt he was going to die that night,” Staly said.

The boy said he was held for days in the woods near where Hairston lived and was forced to travel on the floorboard of the truck, covered by a blanket.

Deputies found evidence matching the boy’s story.

Sheriff Staly said they are still investigating how the 15-year-old and Hairston connected. Hairston worked on kids’ ATVs in rural Flagler Estates.

“What a perfect hunting ground for a sex offender. A rural area, sparsely populated, and I work on your ATVs, I’m your friend,” Staly said.

The sheriff said reviewing all phone and digital evidence will take time to build the case against the teen.

Hairston is jailed, facing multiple charges for kidnapping and assault. The teen is held in the local juvenile detention center.