A Gainesville man accused of soliciting minors for nude photos and videos was apprehended in the Dominican Republic by U.S. Marshals and transported back to Alachua County early last week after violating the conditions of his bond by allegedly fleeing the country for the Caribbean, court records show. The Gainesville …
Read More »UF backup quarterback released from jail after child pornography arrest
Florida Gators backup quarterback was released from jail on an $80,000 bond Thursday, hours after his first court appearance in a case involving five felony counts of possessing and distributing child pornography online. According to newly disclosed court records, the case originated with a tip in June – months before …
Read More »43-year-old High Springs cold case reopened after body is identified
Although investigators finally have a name to go with the remains of a man found more than 40 years ago, they have plenty of questions about how Ralph Tufano’s body ended up in the woods near High Springs. In the winter of 1979, James Prince, a Florida Division of Forestry employee, found a skeleton off County Road 236 in High Springs while conducting a controlled burn. Due to the limited technology at the time, the body remained nameless for decades as the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office continued the investigation to identify the victim.
Read More »Driver accused of crashing into patrol cars during fast chase, punching police dog
A 23-year-old man is facing charges after deputies say he fled and eluded police after speeding on Archer Road, resisted arrest and punched a K-9. Matthew Cornish was driving 90 mph in a 45 mph zone on Sunday morning when he led police on a high-speed chase. He crashed into two police cars trying to get away and drove through a front yard causing $2,000 in damages. After eluding police multiple times, he crashed into a tree, and his truck rolled over. Deputies caught up to him at the 5300 block of Southwest 70th Terrace. When deputies searched his car, they found a bag of marijunana and two bags containing almost 7 grams of cocaine. He is being charged with eight offenses, including aggravated assault on law enforcement, marijuana and cocaine possession, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and hitting a police dog.
Read More »Grand jury indicts man on murder charge in shooting at apartment complex
A grand jury on Monday indicted 35-year-old Michael Gregory Davis of Gainesville on charges of premeditated murder in the death of Calvin Leon Woodard Jr. Davis will face arraignment and trial at a later date. Alachua County Sheriff’s officers responded to reports of a man shot at an apartment complex near the Oaks Mall in June. Deputies found Woodard at the scene with a gunshot wound to the chest. He later died from his injury. Davis also had his phone privileges revoked at the Alachua County jail due to an open felony obstruction of justice case, in which he attempted to tell witnesses from the homicide investigation to retract their statements. Davis is scheduled for case management on Nov. 15 for the premeditated murder of Woodard.
Read More »Low community turnout at event hosted by Alachua County Sheriff’s Office
The Alachua County Sheriff's Office saw low attendance at its annual "Coffee With a Cop” event.
Read More »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.
Read More »Gainesville fugitive spends birthday in jail after high-speed pursuits
A man wanted on felony battery and robbery charges is spending his 37th birthday in the Alachua County Jail after he is accused of leading deputies and police on an impromptu, high-speed tour of west Gainesville early Monday, court records show.
Read More »Students at UF secretly recorded nude in dorm bathrooms, showers angry over sentence for man linked to cases at four universities
Alachua County Circuit Judge James M. Colaw last week sentenced Deontre Donnell Mason, 25, of Carterville, Illinois, to one year of house arrest followed by four years of probation with electronic monitoring. Mason pleaded no contest to nine felony charges of video voyeurism.
Read More »Alachua County Sheriff’s Office releases video of wrong-way pursuit that ended in crash on SW 34th Street
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has released a more than 8-minute dash cam video of the law enforcement pursuit of a man driving a truck reported stolen in Tampa. That chase ended ended in a wreck on Gainesville’s Southwest 34th Street during Tuesday’s busy morning commute. The video is a …
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