Man Wanted For Geneva, Esto Robberies Arrested After Standoff

A standoff at a Brevard County mobile home park ended with the arrest of a man suspected of several crimes, including sexual battery on a child.

A mobile home park on Merritt Island was evacuated while deputies were in a six-hour standoff with Kenneth Wood, 40, of Milford, Del., in one of the homes, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Several homes in the park, which is near East Merritt Island Causeway, were evacuated late Tuesday afternoon.

Deputies said Wood, who they said was on a multistate crime spree, was in the home of a family member.

According to investigators, Wood came to Florida from Delaware.

Investigators said Wood was being held on sexual battery charges and failed to return after being on an authorized pass from the Sussex Community Corrections Center in Georgetown, Del.

Wood has several warrants for his arrest, including armed robbery and vehicle theft, deputies said.

He is suspected of committing two armed robberies, one in Geneva, Alabama and nearby Esto, Florida, and a robbery in Taylor County, where he is also accused of stealing a car, according to deputies.

"Two armed robberies in Alabama and a subsequesnt armed robbery in Taylor County, Florida. They actually persued him. When they were trying to persue him he was able to get away," said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey.

Investigators said that papers left behind in Taylor County led them to believe he would be coming to Merritt Island.

The Game Over Task Force, made up of a number of law enforcement agencies, was alerted to Wood's plans. When they located the stolen car in the mobile home park, they began evacuations and set up a perimeter to keep him at bay.

According to investigators, Wood tried to escape through the floor of the home during the standoff.

"Apparently he was able to, through some measure, able to get out through the floor of the trailer. As soon as he did we made our presence known and he decided it was probably in his best interest to go back into the trailer," said Ivey.

Investigators said that Wood asked to talk to a family member, and a short time later he surrendered.

Wood left the Delaware facility just before Christmas.

Residents began returning to their homes around 9 p.m