By Danny Federico Riverbend News
Two Lake City residents were arrested in Suwannee County on Thursday, April 1, following the abduction of two children on Wednesday, March 31.
On Wednesday, March 31, at approximately 5:15 p.m., deputies with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) responded in reference to a possible child abduction. Upon arrival, deputies were informed the unnamed residents were permanent guardians of two-year-old Lucy Evans and four-year-old Jaxon Evans. Their biological parents are 24-year-old David Thomas Evans and 23-year-old Sydni Elizabeth Jones, both of Columbia County.
The deputies were informed that Jones was "living in the residence with the children as a family," however on Wednesday, "the court established that [Jones] was not able to live at the residence anymore nor have any more unsupervised visits with the children."
After reviewing documents, deputies found the children were taken into emergency protective custody on Thursday, January 21, where they were placed with the unnamed residents. "This stemmed from a severe domestic violence incident," the CCSO report states. Both Jones and Evans were solely granted supervised visitation. The court documents state Jaxon and Lucy are not to be returned to their parents "without further order of the courts" and only grants them supervised visitation.
Once the unnamed residents realized the children were missing, they contacted CCSO and reviewed their security camera footage. During this time, it was discovered that at approximately 5:07 p.m., Evans arrived at the residence and began grabbing backpacks, which had been placed below a window. Evans placed the bags in the bed of his truck and went back to the same window, where Jones then handed both children off to him. Evans then ran back to the truck and placed both children inside. Later, Jones is seen climbing out of the window and entering the passenger seat, while Evans entered the driver's seat. Surveillance footage shows the truck leaving the scene at a "high rate of speed." An AMBER alert was later issued on Wednesday evening for the safe recovery of Jaxon and Lucy.
On Thursday, April 1, a tip led deputies to the Steamboat Dive Inn, located at 503 US-27, in Branford. The two had checked in Wednesday evening. The CCSO's website states "Both [Evans] and [Jones] were apprehended without incident."
"We are very grateful for the outcome of this case," stated Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter. "I would like to commend our team of detectives, along with the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Federal Law Enforcement partners and [the] local community for helping to bring this case to a quick and safe conclusion."
Both Evans and Jones were booked into the Suwannee County Jail on Thursday, April 1, under two counts of kidnapping/abduction. They have both since been transferred to the Columbia County Jail and both have a bond of $300,000.