PARRISH, Fla. — The Manatee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) said a man running for Congress was arrested and charged with obstruction in Parrish on Tuesday.
Deputies said detectives with the Child Protection Investigation Division responded to the 11300 block of 28th Street Circle East at around 4 p.m. on July 28 to assist the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) in serving a court order.
DCF was serving a court order for an emergency motion to produce children and gain access to the residence, according to the report.
MCSO said as detectives presented the court order, 42-year-old Mark Davis attempted to enter the home, where investigators were conducting face-to-face interviews with the children as part of an investigation into allegations of abuse.
Deputies said when Davis pushed past detectives to enter the home, he was taken into custody and charged with obstruction without violence.
According to the report, DCF received a hotline complaint on July 23 expressing concerns for the children's well-being. Officials said before obtaining the court order, multiple attempts to make contact with the children were unsuccessful.
Following Davis’s arrest, MCSO said investigators confirmed the children were safe and found no conditions inside the home that raised concerns.
Officials said Davis was booked into the Manatee County Jail on the obstruction charge and later released after posting a $500 bond.
Davis is currently running to represent Florida's 16th Congressional District.
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