Elaborate robbery, kidnapping attempt foiled by Florida family

CRESTVIEW, Fla. (FOX 13) - Without knowing, a Florida dad halted an elaborate kidnapping plan in its tracks.

Four teenagers in Okaloosa County thought the father was wealthy, so they planned to kidnap his teenage daughter and rob the home on Tuesday night, deputies said. The 51-year-old homeowner, told deputies his 17-year-old daughter called to tell him someone blocked the road to their home with barrels. Rather than exiting her vehicle, she simply drove around them.

A short time later, the father heard his dogs barking and saw his front motion-activated flood lights turn on. He also heard what sounded like a car door closing, and decided to grab his gun. After spotting the intruders trying to enter his garage, he fired three shots. The suspects then ran into the nearby woods. The father later learned they unscrewed some of his security lights.

A neighbor fortunately saw a suspicious car near her home around the same timeframe and told deputies. They spotted the 2006 white Jeep Liberty on Highway 4 and made a traffic stop. Inside were four teenagers, the oldest being 19-year-old Keilon Johnson. The three other suspects’ ages ranged from 15 to 17.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said their investigation revealed the teens planned to kidnap the father’s daughter. They expected her to get out of her car when she saw the barrels and garbage cans in the road, but she didn’t. All four have been charged with attempted kidnapping and attempted home invasion robbery.

Johnson was booked into the Okaloosa County Jail, while the other younger suspect were sent to a Department of Juvenile Justice facility.