A 15-year-old Hastings boy has been formally charged as an adult after allegedly fleeing from deputies and striking a law enforcement officer with a vehicle during an investigation into a kidnapped child.
Junior Bishop of Hastings now faces multiple felony and misdemeanor charges in connection to events that unfolded on December 31, 2025. The charges stem from an incident involving registered sex offender Darnel Hairston, 60, also of Hastings, who was traveling through Flagler County with two juveniles in his vehicle.
The Flagler County Emergency Communications Center received information about Hairston and the juveniles, prompting deputies to conduct a traffic stop. During the stop, Bishop fled the scene by stealing Hairston’s vehicle while Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies were taking Hairston into custody. Investigators are still looking into whether Bishop was a possible co-conspirator in the kidnapping of a missing St. Johns County boy.
Bishop faces two first-degree felony charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and fleeing and eluding at a reckless speed. He is also charged with the felony of grand theft of a motor vehicle. Additionally, he faces three misdemeanor charges of resisting an officer without violence, reckless driving as a first offense, and operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license. Each first-degree felony carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 30 years in prison if convicted.
“This kid was already on probation for a violent offense when he committed these new felony crimes,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “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.”
Following his first appearance on Friday morning, Bishop was transferred to the Volusia County Branch Jail. He is being held on $133,000 bond.
The post Hastings Teen Charged as Adult in Connection to Kidnapping Case, Faces Up to 60 Years in Prison first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
