Registered sex offender sentenced to 30 years for kidnapping, torturing 11-year-old boy

A registered sex offender has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading no contest to kidnapping and brutally abusing an 11-year-old boy in Flagler County.

Authorities say the case was solved because a concerned citizen reported suspicious activity.

The backstory:

Darnell Hairston, 61, of Hastings, pleaded no contest Aug. 19 to kidnapping causing bodily harm, aggravated child abuse, battery by strangulation, robbery with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer without violence. 

At a sentencing hearing Wednesday, Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols found Hairston guilty on all counts and sentenced him to three decades in state prison.

According to investigators, the case began in December 2025 after a bystander called 911 to report seeing Hairston, a registered sex offender, traveling with a child in his truck. Deputies located the vehicle, ultimately rescuing the 11-year-old boy.

Authorities said the child had been bound with shoelaces, had duct tape placed over his mouth and had been strangled during the ordeal. They also allege that Hairston had help from then-15-year-old Junior Bishop, of Hastings, accused of luring the boy before later leading deputies on a high-speed chase following a traffic stop. 

‘See Something, Say Something’

What they're saying:

The victim's mother delivered an emotional statement in court, describing the anguish of not knowing where her son had been taken.

"I did not know where my child was. I did not know if he was safe. I did not know what was happening to him. What he was being told or whether I would get to hold my son again. As a mother, that kind of fear is impossible to put into words."

During sentencing, Judge Nichols described the severity of the abuse.

"This little boy was terrified, had every right to be terrified based upon what was relayed, what had happened. He was strangled to the point that he had seizures, that he lost control of his bodily functions."

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said the case demonstrates the importance of the "See Something, Say Something" message, crediting a vigilant citizen with helping save the child.

"This was one of the most successful 'See Something, Say Something' cases we've ever had — it led to the recovery of a missing child and the next three decades behind bars for the sex offender that was responsible. Of course, we're still waiting for complete closure, as his co-conspirator's case is still ongoing, but this is an important first step," Staly said.

Staly also praised the witness who contacted authorities, investigators and prosecutors who handled the case.

"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."

What's next:

Hairston has remained in custody without bond at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility since his arrest and is awaiting transfer to the Florida Department of Corrections.

Bishop, whom investigators identified as Hairston's alleged co-conspirator, is now 16 years of age and awaiting trial as an adult. 

Bishop is charged with principal to armed kidnapping, aggravated fleeing and eluding, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, grand theft of a motor vehicle, reckless driving, driving without a license and resisting an officer without violence.