Tracks Down Neighborhood Pedo on I-95, Cops Step Up [WATCH]

A chance encounter on a Flagler County roadway led to the recovery of a missing child and the arrest of a registered sex offender after a driver alerted authorities to what he believed was a dangerous situation unfolding in real time.

According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, deputies conducted a traffic stop after receiving a 911 call reporting that a registered sex offender was driving with two minors in his truck.

The caller identified the driver as Darnell Hairston and told dispatchers he was traveling southbound on U.S. 1.

Deputies later stopped Hairston’s truck and took him into custody. Authorities said Hairston, a registered sex offender, had a 15-year-old and a missing 11-year-old in the vehicle at the time of the stop.

“Turn around and put your hands behind your back,” a deputy said in body camera footage during the arrest.

Investigators said the traffic stop and subsequent arrests may not have occurred without the initial 911 call.

Dispatch recordings captured the caller’s description of what he was seeing and his efforts to keep law enforcement informed as the situation developed.

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“911, where is the location of your emergency?” the dispatcher asked.

“Yes, m’aam. There’s a child pedophile with two kids in his truck. One’s a runaway,” the caller responded.

“Where are you at, sir?” the dispatcher asked.

“He’s coming down U.S. 1. His name’s Darnell,” the caller said.

The caller told dispatchers he recognized Hairston and knew he was a registered sex offender.

He said he immediately contacted authorities after noticing what appeared to be two underage boys riding in the truck.

“How do you know this person?” the dispatcher asked.

“He’s our neighborhood child pedophile, and there’s two missing kids that’s run away from out there, and he’s got two teenage boys in the back of his truck,” the caller said.

As deputies were en route, the caller continued to follow Hairston’s vehicle along U.S. 1 and provided updates to the dispatcher.

“You don’t have to continue following,” the dispatcher said.

“Oh, no, I’m following until I see a cop pull his f**king a** over, ’cause he’s got two kids in his car, ’cause if a cop don’t pull him over, I’m going to pull him over, and it ain’t gonna be f**king pretty,” the caller said.

Shortly afterward, law enforcement located the truck and initiated a stop.

Deputies said Hairston was detained following what they described as a struggle.

“All right, I appreciate it. Law enforcement stopped the vehicle,” the dispatcher said.

“Yeah, they got him. Thank you,” said the caller.

Authorities said the incident did not end with Hairston’s arrest.

According to deputies, the 15-year-old fled the scene in Hairston’s truck, leading officers on a brief pursuit. Investigators said the vehicle struck a sheriff’s cruiser before crashing.

“Vehicle’s upside down in the wood line,” a deputy said in body camera footage after the crash.

The 15-year-old now faces charges in connection with the crash, deputies said.

Law enforcement officials also provided details about how the missing 11-year-old came to be in the vehicle. According to deputies, the younger child was lured by the 15-year-old through social media.

Investigators further allege that Hairston assaulted the 11-year-old after the child was in his custody. Deputies said Hairston is accused of choking and torturing the child with duct tape.

The 11-year-old was located safely following the stop, authorities said.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office credited the caller’s actions with helping deputies quickly identify the vehicle, intervene, and locate the missing child. Officials said the case remains under investigation as charges proceed against Hairston and the 15-year-old.