Florida man with violent criminal history arrested in Polk County, child safely located after Amber Alert
Tracey Scarborough image courtesy of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
RIVER RANCH, Fla. - A child at the center of a Florida Amber Alert has been safely located and a man, who deputies say has a violent criminal history has been arrested after the pair were spotted in Polk County.
According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, deputies working on a tip discovered Tracey Scarborough, a man believed to be with a 12-year-old boy kidnapped from Fort Pierce, in the area of River Ranch in Polk County shortly before 11:30 p.m. on Friday.
Polk County deputies took Scarborough into custody for interfering with child custody.
According to PCSO, the child was located with Scarborough and placed into DCF custody.
Deputies say the 12-year-old disappeared from the Spanish Lakes Fairways community area in Fort Pierce around 9:15 p.m. on Thursday and an Amber Alert was issued on Friday morning.
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According to law enforcement, the child was placed in the custody of his paternal grandparent in December 2022.
A no-contact order was issued for Scarborough on June 22, 2023.
Officials say Scarborough has a violent history and has made threats to people involved in the custody case.
"We are very relieved the child was safely located and there was a peaceful resolution to this incident. I want to express my gratitude to members of our communities for helping us bring this situation to a close. I also want to thank the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and our state and federal partners who assisted with this case," stated St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara.