Felon barricaded in Winter Garden home surrenders peacefully, deputies say

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — A convicted felon barricaded inside a Winter Garden home with three children prompted an hourslong standoff Monday, Orange County deputies said.

Orange County deputies were serving a warrant when Eddie Darby Jr. barricaded himself inside a home on the 1100 block of Lincoln Trail.

The standoff started before sunrise and ended about 2:30 p.m., deputies said.

Law enforcement vehicles packed the neighborhood while deputies tried to get Darby, a fugitive, to surrender.

The Regional Fugitive Task Force had been looking for Darby since March.

"He's a serious convicted felon. We don't call in the Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force unless we're dealing with someone who's a serious felon and that is this individual,” said Jane Watrel of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Watch: Scene of standoff in Winter Garden 

They said the three children in the homes, ages 1, 7 and 9, were not injured.

The youngest child is Darby’s and he’s the stepfather of the other children.

“Because of this situation, we wanted to take our time, which we normally do when we have barricaded suspects, but this was a delicate situation,” said Watrel.

Deputies said Darby skipped his court date in March, where he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for driving with a suspended license and possession of cocaine and a firearm by a convicted felon.

He has a total of 21 convictions.

Darby surrendered peacefully once investigators rolled tactical units up close to the home.

Cox Media Group