Man accused of kidnapping 11-year-old girl has criminal history

APOPKA, Fla. — The man accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old Apopka girl Sunday morning has a criminal record extending back 20 years, according to jail and prison records.

Darrell Mills, 50, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for felony charges related to grand theft of a vehicle in 1996.

Mills also pleaded guilty to introducing contraband into the jail and escape in 1996, records show.

His driver's license was also suspended for a misdemeanor reckless driving charge in 1996, court records show.

Since the case is so old, paperwork filed as part of the cases won't be available until the clerk of court's office reopens Tuesday.

It's unclear how much time Mills actually served for these charges. He was released from prison in 2014, records with the Florida Department of Corrections show.

Less than four hours after the Amber Alert was issued, a neighbor was able to tip off deputies to where the girl was.

"That gave people sufficient information that a citizen actually flagged one of our guys down a short time ago and able to locate her and they appear to be in good health," said Orange County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jane Watrel.

Deputies said 50-year-old Darrell Mills was arrested for kidnapping the girl and taken to the Orange County jail. 

He is facing multiple felony charges including sexual battery on a child. Because of this, WFTV has removed all identifying information of the missing girl from our articles. 

Cox Media Group