Lake City Officers Use Flock Cameras to Rescue Two Abducted Children

LAKE CITY, Fla. — Lake City police used license-plate-reader information and phone-location data to find two abducted children and safely reunite them with their mother after an alleged domestic-violence assault at police headquarters, according to a report published Tuesday.

News4JAX reported that officers responded to a disturbance in the Lake City Police Department lobby shortly before 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10.

The search began immediately

Investigators said a woman ran into the lobby seeking help after a physical altercation with her boyfriend. Police said surveillance video showed the man pursue her into the lobby, knock her down, place his arms around her neck, pull her backward and take her phone.

The man then left the parking lot in the woman’s black Kia Seltos while her two children were still inside, according to the police account reported by News4JAX. Police said he has no biological or legal relationship with either child.

Officers immediately began searching for the vehicle. Information from the Flock license-plate-reader network and location data from the woman’s phone helped them locate the Kia near Northeast Lake Drive, the report says.

Officers found the suspect, the vehicle and both children. The children were safely reunited with their mother. The Florida Department of Children and Families was notified and opened an investigation.

Chief credits officers’ quick response

Police identified the arrested man as Branch Stamper. News4JAX reported that he was booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility. The woman had visible injuries but declined medical treatment, according to investigators. Officers provided her with information about available services and the injunction process.

“Our officers acted quickly, used the available technology to locate the vehicle, and safely reunited these children with their mother,” Police Chief Gerald Butler said in the account published by News4JAX.

The children and their mother are not identified here. ThinBlueNews is also omitting any details that could expose the children’s ages, school, address or other private information.

Readers can find more verified service stories in ThinBlueNews’ police news, police rescue news and positive police news sections.

Source, legal and visual disclosure

• News4JAX — “Flock cameras help Lake City officers rescue 2 abducted children, arrest suspect, police say,” Aug. 11, 2026.

Legal note: The arrest and allegations described above come from the police account reported by News4JAX. An arrest is not a conviction, and the accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Visual note: ThinBlueNews did not reuse source or agency imagery because no reusable license was established. The featured image is an original editorial card, not an incident photograph, surveillance image or depiction of any person involved.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence in the United States, the National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-SAFE (7233), by texting START to 88788, or at TheHotline.org.

If an agency representative or reader sees anything that should be corrected or updated, please contact ThinBlueNews through our corrections and editorial standards page.