A convicted offender was arrested in Florida while drinking at Daytona Beach.
The arrest was made during a crackdown on spring breakers’ unruly behavior on Saturday (March 21).
Instead of finding teenagers taking illegal substances, police discovered 45-year-old Anthony Grove, who was violating his parole after committing a crime against his child.
Highlights
- Anthony Grove, 45, was detained in Daytona Beach, Florida, after Ohio issued a warrant for his arrest last October.
- Grove violated his parole after being jailed for a crime against his infant son.
- Authorities said he tried to elicit sympathy before eventually admitting to his criminal record.
Image credits: Volusia Sheriff
Grove was sitting at the popular Florida beach next to another man who was swigging a whiskey bottle, the arrest affidavit shows.
"We had a huge surge of deputies that were assigned to the coastal district, which includes Daytona Beach, in anticipation of another large unruly crowd," explained Volusia County Chief Deputy Brian Henderson.
"So both the sheriff and I were out there with our deputies patrolling, and that's when we came across this guy."
Image credits: Volusia Sheriff
Chief Deputy Henderson said Grove initially played it “real cool” but eventually admitted that he was wanted in Ohio “from an incident where he k*lled his child.”
Ohio warned the public that the 45-year-old should be considered “dangerous and possibly armed” and issued a warrant for his arrest on October 29, 2025.
Grove was convicted of taking the life of his infant son after throwing a ceramic mug at the child’s mother during an argument in February 2015 but hitting the infant in the head instead.
Image credits: Volusia Sheriff
According to the police report, the child’s mother and Grove were arguing because he was sm*king while she was feeding the baby.
The two-month-old, Zeeland, passed away at Akron Children's Hospital the following day.
Grove pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and was released in 2023.
Image credits: Volusia Sheriff
At the time of his Saturday arrest, he was wanted for violating his parole. His parole agreement required him to obtain a “written travel permit” to cross state lines.
The Canton, Ohio, man was charged with failing to register as a convicted felon in Florida and two counts of dr*g possession after police reportedly found a THC marijuana pen inside his backpack.
While speaking to authorities, the criminal denied he was on parole and said he had traveled to Florida to look for a job.
Image credits: Stark County Jail
In police bodycam footage, Chief Deputy Henderson asks Grove what happened to his child after Grove reportedly mentioned that one of his children had passed away.
“You made it sound like your kid – it was a car accident?” Henderson asks before telling Grove to “go sit in the car.”
While being escorted to the car, Grove can be heard saying, “It’s over, bro.”
Image credits: News 5 Cleveland
"The Ohio Justice System failed to hold this guy appropriately accountable; he should be in prison for the rest of his life," said Henderson. "I don't care what the facts and circumstances are—he k*lled an infant. And he definitely shouldn't be hanging out on our beach."
The chief deputy also stressed the importance of the operation, which followed a high-profile incident involving spring break rowdiness on Florida beaches.
Image credits: Volusia Sheriff
“The little things matter – you enforce the small public nuisance crimes and here we are, we find a guy that’s sitting up on the seawall, drinking booze…This is the kind of people we don’t need on our beach, we don’t need in our community, and I’m glad we could get him off the sand.”
Image credits: Volusia Sheriff
Henderson explained that he and the sheriff first questioned the other man for having an open container of whisky before turning their attention to Grove.
The chief deputy said he asked Grove whether he had any children, a question that serves as “an ice breaker when you're trying to figure out someone.”
“He said, 'Yeah, I had two kids, and one passed away.' So I showed him some sympathy. 'Man, I'm really sorry to hear that.' Well, he left out obviously one of the big parts."
Image credits: Volusia Sheriff
Image credits: Volusia County Sheriff’s Office
After trying to garner sympathy from authorities, the criminal eventually confessed.
“Plays it real cool with us, then he tells us as we’re cuffing him up that it’s from an incident where he k*lled his child.”
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is working with Ohio to extradite Grove.