FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. \u2013 An 18-year-old man in Palm Coast was arrested after he was found with a missing Central Florida girl earlier this month, according to the Flagler County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
In a release, deputies said they responded to Beckner Lane on Jan. 11 after the 15-year-old girl was first reported missing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girl\u2019s father told deputies he believed his daughter was with Brandon Lee Gray II, 18, of Palm Coast, and that Gray had previously taken the juvenile out of the state without permission in December of 2025,\u201d the release reads.<\/p>\n
According to investigators, the girl was found with Gray at that time in Valdosta, Georgia, and Gray was told that the girl was underage and he didn\u2019t have permission to be in contact with her. But this prior incident wasn\u2019t reported to law enforcement.<\/p>\n
Booking photo for Brandon Lee Gray, 18 (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office)<\/p>\n
This month, detectives said they found out that Gray had bought two bus tickets to Houston, Texas, under fictitious names using his mother\u2019s bank account. <\/p>\n
Afterward, Houston police helped find the girl at a bus station on Jan. 11, and she was taken into protective custody before being returned to Florida, deputies added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, detectives said they obtained a warrant for Gray\u2019s arrest just a few days later, and he was taken into custody on Monday after he returned to his home in Palm Coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cGray was on felony juvenile probation at the time of his arrest for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon stemming from a 2023 incident,\u201d the release continues.<\/p>\n
Brandon Lee Gray, 18, was arrested at his home in Palm Coast, according to deputies. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office)<\/p>\n
However, when Gray was being taken to jail, two hidden electronic vape pens were found \u201cstrapped to Gray\u2019s penis using hair ties,\u201d investigators noted. Gray reportedly claimed he had panicked and failed to disclose the items.<\/p>\n
As such, Gray now faces charges of depriving custody of a minor, two counts of smuggling a vapor electronic device into a correctional institution, and felony violation of probation. He was later released on bond of $16,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis case shows just how important it is for parents to be involved in their child\u2019s life,\u201d Sheriff Rick Staly said. \u201cI commend our deputies and investigators for quickly tracking this child to Houston and working with Texas authorities to quickly recover this child and return her home. We were able to locate the missing juvenile the same day she was reported missing, despite her being nearly 1,000 miles from home and this dirtbag went to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n
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