JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man Jacksonville police say was wanted for kidnapping, fleeing a law enforcement officer, domestic battery and reckless driving in connection with a September Amber Alert has been taken into custody, the Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.
Patrick Felton, 39, was arrested Saturday thanks to a citizen tip, police said.
Recommended Videos
They have not yet provided more information about how he was captured.
Police said Felton was accused of taking off in a car with a 13-year-old boy in late September, causing an Amber Alert to be issued.
The boy was quickly found safe.
Police said the teen’s mother reported Felton dropped her off at Baptist North Medical Campus on Dunn Avenue after the two got into an argument. She said Felton wouldn’t let her son out of the car.
The teen's mother said she called Felton and demanded that he bring the boy back, but he ignored her pleas.
JSO sent out an alert about an endangered missing child about the teen around 8 p.m and later upgraded it to an Amber Alert, which means a child is in danger.
Around 3 a.m. the next morning, police found the car Felton was driving on Redpoll Avenue, which is about 6 minutes away from where Felton was last seen by the victim’s mother. The boy was not inside but was found a short time later.
Felton has a lengthy criminal history.
In 2001, he was sentenced to prison for armed carjacking and fleeing or attempting to elude police. Prior to that he was convicted of grand theft auto and fleeing an officer at high speed.
Felton just finished an 18-year prison sentence in January. He went back to jail in July and was released on Aug. 9.
Before the September incident, Felton already had a warrant out for his arrest for violating parole on a carjacking conviction.