A traffic stop Tuesday night led police to arrest and charge a man accused of using a sledgehammer to rob a northeast Gainesville convenience store in July.
Gainesville Police charged Dionte Detraun Rutledge, 18, of 668 NE 16th Terrace, with burglary of a structure, property damage exceeding $1,000, conspiracy to commit a crime and giving a false identity to police, according to a GPD arrest report.
At about 8 p.m. Tuesday, GPD officer Anton Lipski pulled over a car in the 400 block of Southeast 11th Street with Rutledge a passenger.
According to the report, Lipski believed Rutledge may have been a suspect in an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon case in which he had an active felony warrant.
When Lipski asked Rutledge for his name, Rutledge gave the officer a false one. Lipski searched through police records and found Rutledge was lying, according to the report.
Police arrested Rutledge and took him to Alachua County Jail. There, he refused to give his name, saying, “You know who I am” to officers. Jail staff used fingerprints and a photograph database to identify Rutledge.
On July 2, Rutledge and three others allegedly planned to break into the 8th Avenue Food Store at 1634 NE Eighth Ave.
At about 3:30 a.m. July 3, in-store footage showed cameras shaking from sledgehammers slamming against the cement wall, according to the report.
About 45 minutes later, two men entered the building. They wore black clothing, gloves and bandanas around their faces. The men snatched cigars, money and other items before fleeing from the store.
Rutledge allegedly caused about $1,000 in damage to the building, according to the report.
Since the July break-in, police have arrested three suspects connected to the burglary, including a 16-year-old juvenile on July 12; Dacorian Williams, 18, on July 13; and Christopher Williams, 23, on July 29 following a warrant for his arrest issued July 24.
As of Wednesday night, Rutledge, Dacorian Williams and Christopher Williams remained in jail. Dacorian Williams’ and Christopher Williams’ bonds are set at $20,100 and $30,000, respectively.
A bond for Rutledge has not been set.
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
