FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Deputies said two children who were taken from Flagler County by their biological father have been found safe in North Florida.
Investigators said that at 2:06 p.m. on Friday, deputies responded to a home in Palm Coast after a child abduction was reported.
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According to a release by the sheriff’s office, the biological father of two children went into the children’s home, pushed a family member and forcefully took the children. The father does not have custody or legal authority over the children, the release states.
The father drove off with the children in a minivan, though they were later found west of Jacksonville by Florida Highway Patrol troopers and officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
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Deputies said the children — a 3-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy — were rescued safely. The father, identified as Derek Jordan, is now in custody, according to a news release.
In an update Saturday from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, it was described how Jordan reportedly admitted to planning the abduction, with authorities adding the two children have since been reunited with their custodial parent.
Jordan faces charges of aggravated battery on a person over age 65, burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery and two counts of kidnapping a minor under age 13. He was in the Duval County Jail at last check, pending transport to Flagler County, the sheriff’s office said.
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