North Charleston Police (NCPD) responded to an open 911 call on February 21 around 8 p.m. on North Rhett Avenue, where dispatch heard a man and woman arguing before the line went quiet. When officers arrived, the female victim reported that she and 33-year-old Dequan Jamal Alston of Wando, the father of her three children, had been arguing in a vehicle. She said Alston punched her in the face, took her phone to prevent her from calling for help, and then fled into nearby woods. The victim reported the children were in the vehicle during the alleged assault.

Police set up a perimeter and used K-9 units to search but were unable to find him at the time, though they did recover the victim’s phone. Warrants were issued for First-Degree Domestic Violence.

Early this morning, around 1:30 a.m., Alston was located during a traffic stop by partner agencies, taken into custody, and transported to the Al Cannon Detention Center.