Police arrest gang member for punching 14-year-old
Gainesville Police arrested a local woman Thursday afternoon after police said she punched a girl who identified with the Bloods street gang.
At about 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aliha Victoria Pittman, 19, grabbed a red bandana from a teenage girl and punched her in the face, according to a police report.
The color red is associated with the Bloods gang with which Pittman is affiliated, according to the report.
Pittman said she saw the girl pledge allegiance to the gang on social media, which upset her, according to the report.
When she saw the girl, Pittman tested her allegiance by asking the girl a Bloods-related question, called a “G check,” according to the report.
The girl was unable to answer the code correctly, which upset Pittman even further. Pittman said the girl was “false flagging,” or pledging allegiance to a gang she wasn’t in, according to the report.
Pittman stole the bandana and waved it in the girl’s face before punching her. The punch left her with a cut lip, according to the report.
Police arrested Pittman under charges of robbery and took her to the Alachua County Jail where she remains, as of press time, in lieu of a $5,000 bond.
Local man arrested for cooking meth around children
Gainesville Police arrested a local man Thursday morning after police said he cooked meth in a home with four children.
At about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Louis Alan Hendrix, 37, sat in the passenger seat of a car pulled over for running a stop sign on Main Street, according to a police report.
After police asked Hendrix to step out of the car, he hid about 2 grams of meth and a needle under a pile of mulch, according to a police report.
Police found the drugs and later obtained a warrant to search Hendrix’s home, where they found 45 grams of meth and four children between the ages of 11 months and 15 years, according to the report.
It is unknown whether the children are related to Hendrix.
Authorities also found a collection of tools used to make meth, including lithium batteries, coffee filters and butane fuel. He cooked meth in the home’s bedroom and in an outdoor shed, according to the report.
He also used needles to inject the meth, according to the report.
Police arrested Hendrix under charges of possessing meth, possessing drug paraphernalia, manufacturing meth with children present, trafficking meth, maintaining a drug dwelling and destroying evidence.
Authorities took Hendrix to the Alachua County Jail where, as of press time, he remains in lieu of a $756,000 bond.
Man arrested for possession of about 40 grams of weed
Gainesville Police arrested a local man Friday after police said he had about 40 grams of marijuana and five rifle cartridges in his home.
At about 3:30 p.m. Friday, Kennith Morten Morton, 43, slept on the floor of his home in the 7100 block of SW 44th Place, according to the report.
Police conducted a sexual offender check on Morton when they noticed the smell of weed coming from outside his home, according to a report.
On his porch, police found a 4-inch-tall marijuana plant in a pot. Through Morton’s glass windows, police saw a jar of weed, according to the report.
When police searched Morton’s home, they found a scale, five rifle cartridges and about 40 grams of weed in several plastic bags, according to the report.
Morton said the weed was for personal use, and he kept it in plastic bags to reduce the smell, according to the report. Police said he likely intended to sell the weed, according to the report.
Police arrested Morton on charges of possession of more than 20 grams of weed, possession of weed with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a park, cultivation of weed, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Authorities took him to the Alachua County Jail where he was released Saturday night on a $21,000 bond.
Police arrest man for DUI, hit and run
Florida Highway Patrol arrested an Archer man Saturday night after police said he drunkenly crashed into the back of a truck and left the scene.
At about 8 p.m., Douglas John Carr, 54, drove his car into the back of a stopped Chevrolet Suburban at the intersection of State Road 24 and Southwest 143rd Street, according to a report.
The driver of the Suburban said she was waiting to turn left when she saw a vehicle speeding toward her, according to the report.
Carr attempted to avoid the truck but crashed into the right side of its bumper, according to the report.
Moments later, a white pickup truck stopped next to Carr’s vehicle and asked if he and his passenger needed help. Carr and his friend then stepped into the truck and rode away, according to the report.
Officers with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office tracked down the truck and brought the passengers back to the crash scene for questioning, according to the report.
Carr could not keep his balance and smelled of alcohol. Carr said he had a few drinks earlier in the day, but he refused to blow into a breathalyzer, according to the report.
Police arrested Carr on charges of hit and run, driving without a license and driving under the influence with property damage. Authorities took him to the Alachua County Jail where he remains, as of press time, in lieu of a $21,500 bond.
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo.
