Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson today praised the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) for responding to a missing child alert and locating the vehicle authorities had connected to the case, which ultimately led to the location and rescue of the missing child from Delray Beach, Florida.
“When a child goes missing, every minute counts,” said Commissioner Wilton Simpson. “Thanks to the quick and dedicated work from our Agricultural Law Enforcement Officers, this child was located in less than an hour from when the alert was issued.”
On November 3, 2023, at 10:27 p.m., a missing/endangered child alert for a two-year-old boy from Delray Beach was issued by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with a BOLO (Be on the Lookout) for a 2018 black Hyundai Elantra. The alert noted that the vehicle was occupied by Justin Cloud, 28, and headed for the Florida/Georgia border. OALE officers assigned to the I-95 agricultural inspection station near the Florida-Georgia border expanded their patrol efforts and located the described vehicle at a Days Inn in Kingsland, Georgia. OALE officers notified Georgia officials including the Camden County Sheriff’s Office and the Kingsland Police Department. The suspect in the case, Justin Cloud, was located with the missing two-year-old. The child was found safe, and the subject was arrested. The Camden County Sheriff’s Office took control of the scene and security of the child.
The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement conducts criminal investigations relating to any matter over which the department has jurisdiction, protects consumers from unfair and deceptive trade practices, protects Florida’s agriculture industry from theft and other crimes, and safeguards the integrity of Florida’s food and other consumer products. In support of its mission, the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement operates more than 20 agricultural interdiction stations around the state. Officers conduct vehicle inspections 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to protect Florida’s food supply and prevent the introduction and spread of agricultural pests and diseases.
For more information about Commissioner Simpson and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FDACS.gov.
