JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is now looking for a man and his child after they say the two were barricaded inside a home overnight. The JSO SWAT Team surrounded a home on the Northside Thursday night.
Police went to serve an injunction to 37-year-old Nathan DeVoe at 5612 Mahalia, near the intersection of US-1 and Edgewood at 6:45 p.m.
They went to tell DeVoe that he had to leave the home he shared with his wife and two-year-old child Natalie. The injunction gave temporary custody of the couple's child to the mother pending a hearing in family court.
As the officers spoke with DeVoe and his wife, explaining that DeVoe would have to go, he suddenly grabbed the child, ran back into the home and slammed the front door.
Police spent several hours trying to contact DeVoe to negotiate with him. The SWAT Team finally made it into the home early Friday morning. However, when they got inside DeVoe and the child were no where to be found. Officials are now searching for the two.
JSO says DeVoe has a long criminal history. Because of his known criminal past, SWAT was called out and several neighboring homes were evacuated. The child's mother is safe and unharmed.
"He has a lengthy criminal record. He has past arrests for armed robbery, aggravated battery, a few drug charges as well. We're going to be very deliberate with this incident. We want to, again, as I said, have a peaceful resolution without incident, hopefully," said JSO spokesperson Ken Jefferson.