Man wanted in connection with missing baby arrested

Dwayne Weedon charged with armed robbery, burglary, fraud

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A wanted man, whose infant son is missing and believed to be dead, was arrested Tuesday on several outstanding warrants after a Crime Stoppers tip was called in, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.

Dwayne Curtis Weedon, 29, is charged with armed robbery, burglary, dealing in stolen property, credit card fraud and false verification of ownership.

Weedon's son, Nehemiah Omari Weedon, remains missing and is believed to be dead.

The tipster who called Crime Stoppers about Weedon spotted him on the Wheel of Justice on Channel 4 news, police said.

The tipster said Weedon was living with his mother. Police went to her house on the Northside and found Weedon there, hiding in a closet. He's now in the Duval County jail.

"We followed up on that tip and thankfully he is now behind bars," JSO spokeswoman Melissa Bujeda said. "Thanks to the Wheel of Justice who got this wanted criminal off the streets."

Anyone with information about the case or the missing baby is asked to call JSO immediately at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and receive a possible reward up to $3,000, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

"Sometimes when someone is behind bars, more people are willing to speak," Bujeda said.

Weedon is accused of armed robbery in connection with an incident on Jan. 8 at a Subway near Regency Square.

According to the report, Weedon took money and stole keys from a young woman who was inside the restaurant at the time.

It’s not clear if he took her car, but he was also charged with knowingly driving with a suspended license.

Weedon was also charged with burglary without a weapon in connection with an incident that happened in December 2015.

Those charges include illegal use of a credit card and dealing in stolen property.

At Weedon's first appearance Wednesday, Judge Marianne Aho set bond at $750,003 for the first-degree felony armed robbery charge. In total his bond is close to $1.5 million. He will be represented by a public defender, and his next court date is March 9.

He pleaded no contest to driving on a suspended license and was sentenced to two days in jail. He was credited with time served for those two days.

Missing baby presumed dead

JSO said Nehemiah's mother, Kristen Branch, was pregnant in the Duval County jail in March 2014. She had been arrested on drug, fraud and forgery charges. That August, the then-26-year-old was taken from the jail to UF Health Jacksonville, where she gave birth to a child named Nehemiah. Branch turned the child over to his biological father, Dwayne Weedon Jr. 

Authorities said Weedon was homeless and stayed at the Sulzbacher Center along with the couple's two other children, ages 2 and 4, while Branch was in jail. She was sentenced in September 2014 and served her time at the Florida State Prison.

JSO Chief Tom Hackney said Weedon was having trouble caring for Nehemiah and in October 2014, Weedon told a case worker at Sulzbacher that he made arrangements with an out-of-town relative to take custody of Nehemiah.

JSO said that in December 2014, Weedon was asked to leave Sulzbacher with his two other children because of behavioral issues. Nearly a year later, Branch finished her sentence at Florida State Prison and was released in November 2015.

She contacted Weedon and took custody of her two children and he told her he gave Nehemiah over to an out-of-state relative. However, in December 2015, Branch, along with some of her family members in St. Johns County, began questioning Weedon's story about the baby.

JSO said through its investigation that it believes the baby was dead in October 2014.

"He's the person that knows in reference to what exactly occurred, so we feel he's the key person," Bujeda said. "Hopefully, we will be able to pursue this case and get more information."