Amber Alert issued for St. Lucie County boy

Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Updated ·2 min read
4
Leon Scarborough
Leon Scarborough

ST. LUCIE COUNTY − An AMBER Alert has been issued for a 12-year-old boy listed as “endangered” and missing, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Leon Scarborough, who is 5 feet 6 inches and weighs 130 pounds, last was seen in the area of the 6500 block of Nuevo Lagos Street. He’s been missing since Thursday.

The location is in the Spanish Lakes Fairways community, just east of Interstate 95 and north of Indrio Road in northern St. Lucie County's Lakewood Park area.

According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Leon may be in the company of his father, a 54-year-old man who lives in Indian River County.

A sheriff's spokesperson Friday morning declined to say who last saw Leon, where he lives and why investigators think he may be with his father.

Leon has a mole on his left shoulder blade and wears a large silver chain.

The AMBER Plan, in effect since Aug. 30, 2000, is an alert issued via radio, TV, highway message signs, lottery machines, missingchildrenalert.com and other resources “when a child abduction occurs,” the FDLE stated.

According to the FDLE, five criteria must be met to activate an AMBER alert, which only can be requested by law enforcement agencies:

  • The child must be younger than 18

  • Investigators have “a well-founded belief” a kidnapping has occurred

  • Investigators have “a well-founded belief” a child is in danger of death or serious injury

  • A detailed description of the child and/or abductor/vehicle is available to broadcast

  • The law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the case recommends it be activated

Those with information are asked to call the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office at 772-465-5770 or 911.

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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on Twitter @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Amber Alert issued for Leon Scarborough, 12, of St. Lucie County