Camila Pereira

Camila is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.

UF student accused of death threat against guest speaker is set to appear in court in December

The University of Florida student accused of threatening to kill TikTok star Josh Richards, who was invited to speak at the university on June 29, awaits formal charges as his arraignment was postponed to December 15 on Tuesday. UF microbiology sophomore Ryan Christopher Marin was suspected and later arrested by officers on allegations of making a death threat on Instagram against Richards. The sworn complaint states Richards was in “fear for his life,” prompting him to cancel the event. Marin now faces charges of aggravated assault and intimidation. He was released from jail Monday after his $5,000 bond was paid.

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Elected official accused by police of carving gay slur in SUV; he denies it

An Alachua County elected official running for reelection next month is accused by police of carving a gay slur into an SUV parked across the street from his family’s former home. Daniel "Danny" Taylor Gordon, 41, of Gainesville is formally accused in Alachua County Circuit Court of misdemeanor property damage and criminal mischief, according to court records filed Tuesday. Police said Gordon was caught on video by a nearby surveillance camera, which he then stole. He denies it.

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Rock revetment project underway to restore Flagler Beach shoreline after Hurricane Ian

Florida Department of Transportation crews began rock and sand revetment Wednesday on the shoreline along State Road A1A as part of its emergency recovery effort after Tropical Storm Ian ravaged the state’s Atlantic coast. Rock revetment absorbs energy from incoming waves and prevents damage from coastal erosion by layering stone and sand on shorelines to create a barrier between the ocean and the shore. FDOT crews will use coquina rock between South 9th Street and South 23rd Street to return the beach’s shoreline to its pre-storm conditions. The crews will work during the day, and the project is estimated to take about two weeks to complete. FDOT asks pedestrians and motorists to use caution and obey traffic signs directing them through the work area.

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Two men arrested on charges related to running a human sex trafficking business in a Gainesville group home

Two men were arrested Tuesday and accused of running a human sex trafficking business in a Gainesville group home. The arrests happened at a Gate gas station on 3001 NW 13th Street at 4 p.m. The suspects' identities were confirmed as 20-year-old Kevarius Nyrtell King and 25-year-old Justin Terrel Hoyt. The victim was living in the Safe Hands Group Home, a housing service partnered with homeless shelters and co-owned by King since a little less than a year ago. The two men forced the victim into multiple sexual acts, sometimes without her consent, with dozens of men in the group home. Police were able to report the crime as the victim had told the staff at the Tower Road Branch Library that she was a victim of human trafficking and to alert the authorities. Through a search warrant of the group home, police were able to confirm the identities of King and Hoyt and later arrest and charge them with human sex trafficking. King and Hoyt are currently booked in the Alachua County Jail, each with release bonds set at $250,000.

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