4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2018
· CRIME ROUNDUP ·
GPD looking for suspects from two robberies over weekend ONE PERSON WAS INJURED SUNDAY. By Amanda Rosa Alligator Staff Writer
Gainesville Police are searching for suspects from two armed robbery incidents that occurred a day apart. UF Public Safety sent students alerts via email about a robbery and an attempt-
ed robbery that occurred Saturday and Sunday morning, respectively. An armed man stole an unknown amount of cash at about 6 a.m. Saturday from Domino’s Pizza, at 3581 SW Archer Road, according to the email. The man was last seen running south on Southwest 34th Street near Kohl’s, the email said. GPD could not find the suspect, described as a 6-foot-tall man of average build. The next morning, an attempted armed
Man stopped for driving with headphones, arrested for cocaine HE HID IN HIS GIRLFRIEND’S APARTMENT, DEPUTIES SAID. By Amanda Rosa Alligator Staff Writer
One Gainesville man’s hide-and-seek game with deputies ended in several drug possession charges on Saturday. Clarence Harris III, 43, of Gainesville, is accused of dropping a backpack carrying cocaine and marijuana while running away from deputies Friday afternoon, according to an arrest report. An Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputy noticed Harris riding a scooter near Northwest 75th Street wearing headphones covering his ears, the report said. After the deputy turned on the patrol car’s lights and siren, Harris pulled into a parking spot on the 7000 block of West University Avenue, threw down the scooter and ran away, the report said. Harris dropped a backpack containing 6.6 grams of cocaine, about a half gram of
marijuana, a scale and empty baggies, deputies said. Early Saturday morning, deputies went to an apartment complex at the 6800 block of West University Avenue looking for Harris. Deputies called for Harris to come out of the apartment eight times with no success, the report said. Harris’ girlfriend eventually came outside and told deputies Harris was the only person inside. She gave deputies permission to enter, the report said. A police dog was sent into the apartment and found Harris hiding inside, deputies said. Harris is charged with one count of driving with a suspended license, one count of resisting without violence, one count of possessing cocaine and one count of marijuana possession, according to the report. He is held in Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $40,000 bond. @AmandaNicRosa arosa@alligator.org
stolen, police spokesperson Ben Tobias wrote in an email. After the shot was fired, the two men ran to either a BMW or Mercedes-Benz and were last seen driving north on Northwest 14th Street, the email said. The two suspects are both men, one was tall and heavyset and the other was short and heavyset, police said.
robbery took place outside of 117 NW 15th St., which is behind Chipotle on West University Avenue. Two men demanded money from a man and threatened him with a silver handgun around 7:50 a.m., the email said. The victim and two men fought over control of the handgun, and a shot was fired. No one was hit by the bullet, but the victim was injured from fighting the two men, the email said. Police don’t believe that anything was
@AmandaNicRosa arosa@alligator.org
Woman accused of stealing UF student’s phone, using Venmo By Amanda Rosa Alligator Staff Writer
The Gators weren’t the only ones to lose something during the FloridaKentucky football game. Jasmine Nykiesha Robinson, 22, of Archer, Florida, is accused of stealing a student’s iPhone during the game on Sept. 8 and sending herself money through Venmo, according to an arrest report. The student told University Police the next day that her phone, credit card, driver’s license and Gator 1 Card were taken after she left it on her seat during the game, the report said. The student used the “Find My iPhone” app and located the phone at Southwest 175th Terrace in Archer, where Robinson lives, the report said. Robinson attempted to send herself $1,624 from the student’s Venmo, a money-sharing app, the student told The Alligator.
The student’s credit card was also charged at the stadium for $12.50, police said. An officer arranged to meet Robinson at the Archer post office Thursday night. At first, Robinson denied she stole the iPhone, and when police asked why the phone appeared at her house on “Find My iPhone,” Robinson responded “someone else must have taken it there,” the report said. When police told Robinson she was under arrest, she admitted to taking the phone. Police returned the phone to the student Thursday night, the report said. Robinson declined to comment. Robinson is charged with grand theft and illegally using a credit card. She was released from the Alachua County Jail on a $2,000 bond Friday night. @AmandaNicRosa arosa@alligator.org
Homeowner fatally shoots Save graduation rally for Thursday intruder, police said AN ORGANIZER IS MEETING WITH FUCHS SHORTLY AFTER.
THE SHOOTING HAPPENED AT WHISPERWOOD APARTMENTS. By Amanda Rosa Alligator Staff Writer
A Gainesville man accused of breaking into a home was fatally shot Sunday morning, Gainesville Police said. Gregory Miller, 52, was killed by a homeowner in a condominium at Whisperwood Apartments at 4100 NW 28th Lane, GPD spokesperson Ben Tobias wrote in an email. The homeowner, an elderly man whose name was not released, called police at about 7 a.m. after he shot Miller. Police found Miller lying inside the living room with gunshot wounds, Tobias said. Officers tried to revive Miller until paramedics arrived, Tobias said. Miller
was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooting is still under investigation and charges are not expected to be filed against the homeowner, Tobias said. Since 2011, law enforcement has been called to the block 12 times for incidents ranging from minor theft to an “animal problem,” according to the city of Gainesville crime database. From 2011 to 2014, there have been four death investigations in the area. Sunday’s incident wasn’t the only fatal Gainesville apartment shooting this year. In February, Cedric Tremaine Plummer killed two people and kidnapped another in Summer Place Villas, according to court records. The state attorney’s office pursued the death penalty in Alachua County for the first time in three years. @AmandaNicRosa arosa@alligator.org
By McKenna Beery Alligator Staff Writer
Students are taking graduation complaints to UF President Kent Fuchs’ doorstep. Anthony Rojas, a 22-year-old UF first-year political science master’s student, is hosting a “Save UF Graduation Rally” at 10:45 a.m. Thursday in front of Tigert Hall, which will lead up to a private meeting with Fuchs. Students will speak about how commencement changes have affected them. “We hope to see as many students out there as possible to have their voice heard and show their displeasure regarding the recent changes to UF commencement ceremonies,” Rojas said. Changes to commencement include the exclusion of individual name-calling at the O’Connell Center during Fall and Spring ceremonies. Instead, a single university-wide commencement will be held in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. These changes come after the previous Spring ceremony when a graduation marshal rushed students offstage. Videos from that commencement show the marshal putting his hands on minority students performing dances from their multicultural sororities and fraternities.
UF missed an opportunity to examine race relations and treatment of minority students after the Spring commencement, Rojas said. Rojas, Director of Commencements Stephanie McBride and an unnamed, prominent representative of the African-American community at UF, will all sit down to talk with Fuchs about the commencement changes Thursday, Rojas said. After the meeting, Rojas is providing the opportunity for the media to ask questions on the steps of Tigert Hall, which Rojas said he hopes Fuchs participates in. The ultimate decision to change UF commencement ceremonies was made by Fuchs, Rojas said, so he feels Fuchs should make himself available to students. Cy-Anne Small, a 21-year-old UF education senior, said she is planning to attend the rally to show solidarity. Small graduates in December and wants the ceremony to be in the O’Connell Center, she said. Though she said some of her peers don’t want to fight the new plan because UF seems committed to the decision, she believes it can change. “It feels like I’m being punished for what that faculty member did, while he got paid administrative leave,” she said. @mckennabeery mbeery@alligator.org