UPDATE: Nichols is now in custody.
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We are asking for the public’s help in finding a 46-year-old Daytona Beach man wanted on three felony counts of child abuse.
An arrest warrant is out for Taft L. Nichols (pictured). He was out on bond for a robbery case from 2017 at the time of the alleged abuse.
Sex Crimes investigators with the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) began investigating soon after the mother of two of the victims reported the abuse on October 14 at Advent Health.
The victims – three black females who are all under the age of 10 – told investigators that Nichols abused them physically and sexually on several occasions. Those include:
- Threatening to kill one of them repeatedly, pointing a knife at her during one of those times.
- Choking two of the girls by putting his hand around their necks.
- Attempting to choke one of the girls by covering her mouth.
- Kissing two of the girls after grabbing them forcefully.
- Touching the private area of one of the girls.
- Exposing his penis to at least one of the girls.
- Trying to pull down the pants of one of the girls.
- Hitting one of the girls with a belt.
More charges are possible since the investigation is still active and ongoing.
Prior to this incident, DBPD arrested Nichols and another man for robbing a pharmacy on Orange Avenue in December 2017.
Investigators believe the suspects displayed a gun during the robbery and zip-tied the hands of employees while looking for cash and medications.
Nichols bonded out after the robbery arrest on four felony charges, including robbery with a firearm, trafficking in hydromorphone, trafficking in hydrocodone and conspiracy to engage in trafficking.
The other suspect in that case was recently convicted and sentenced.
We are asking anyone with information on Nichols’ whereabouts to contact DBPD Detective Diego Besse at (386) 671-5212 or BesseDiego@dbpd.us regarding Case 190020474.