ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man after an hours-long manhunt in St. Augustine.
They say Kendrick Newby, a wanted suspect and registered sex predator, is now in custody.
The search took place near a Circle K off U.S. 1 and Ocean Boulvard.
Some people in St. Augustine say they received an alert around 5 p.m. Saturday warning them the man was armed and dangerous.
Jennifer Boudro says she watched from her porch as police cars circled her neighborhood.
“The police presence kept getting heavier,” Boudro said. “The helicopter wasn’t going away, so we all kind of walked outside to see what was going on. Because, yes, we are nosy.”
“You could hear over the radio, ‘This is St. John’s County, put your hands up.’”
Boudro says more and more drones kept taking to the sky, and more police cars planted themselves in front of her house.
“We’ve seen them shoot down past first, going back towards the store,” Boudro says. “We have seen them shoot down towards second, but they have always kind of circled back and remained concentrated in this area.”
Just before 7 p.m., Action News Jax received word that Newby was in custody.
Boudro says the situation shows that law enforcement continues to keep the community safe.
“Do not interfere with law enforcement. Do not block the path for emergency vehicles,” Boudro said. “Pay attention to your surroundings, lock your doors, make sure that your animals stay inside, do not take things into your own hands.”
Action News Jax reached out to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office about what Newby was wanted for and how law enforcement learned of his whereabouts.
They told us they’ll provide us with more information as it becomes available.
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