UPDATE: Suspect and mother of family from Amber alert charged

LEXINGTON, Tenn. — An Amber alert for four Lexington children and their mother is over, and police confirm that the suspect is now in custody. According to Capt. Jeff Middleton, Octivas Crout turned himself in at the Lexington Police Department and was arrested without incident. Capt. Middleton also confirmed that Amanda Manley Crout, the mother of the children involved in the Amber alert, has been charged with filing a false report and accessory after-the-fact to aggravated kidnapping.

Amber alert victims found safe

Shattered glass still scattered the ground of a Lexington home hours after Lillian Manley said her daughter and four grandchildren were abducted at gunpoint.

“At three in the morning, he went through the window and grabbed them,” she said. “He took my grand kids, he took the car.”

Deputies said an Amber Alert was issued around 8 a.m. for two year old Amaylah Manley, three-year old Tayvious Crout, one-year-old Damaryous Crout and eight-year-old Adrik Manley, along with their mother 31-year-old Amanda Manley Crout.

“Our sub investigation revealed that a female resident there along with her small children had been forcibly taken at gunpoint,” said Captain Jeff Middleton with the Lexington Police Department.

Octivas Crout

The TBI is identifying 28-year-old Octivas Crout, the father of two of the children, as the suspect.

When officers arrived on scene, the first thing they noticed was a shattered window.  Neighbors in the area said they believe that is how the suspect broke in.

“Crazy, I mean kids run up and down this trailer park every day,” said Demetrius Phelps, who lives in the area. “You wouldn’t think something like that would happen around here.”

Deputies say Amanda Manley Crout and her children were found around 9 a.m. in her vehicle just two miles from their home. But the suspect was no where to be found.

“Any information that the public may have that can assist us in his arrest, we most certainly need,” Captain Middleton said.

The children remain in state custody.

This decision leaves Lillian Manley heartbroken.

“I need my grandchildren to not go to a strange house today, I need them to come home to me,” she said.

Warrants for aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault have been issued for Octivas Crout.

If you have any information on his whereabouts, contact the Lexington Police department at 731-968-6666.