UPD: Men arrested outside Matherly Hall for meth possession

Two Gainesville men seen following women on campus were arrested for possession of methamphetamine early Thursday, University Police said.

Fredrick Joseph Augustus, 37, and Keith Thomas, 39, were sitting on a brick wall outside of Matherly Hall after midnight with an alcoholic beverage between them when a police officer approached them and told them to drink elsewhere, according to an arrest report.

The officer said Augustus and Thomas were following women walking on campus. Police told the men to stop harassing women, according to the report.

Another officer noticed Augustus was holding white, rolled tobacco cigarettes in his hand, according to the report.

“Man, is that yours?” Augustus asked, pointing at the cigarettes and a white powdery substance in a small, clear plastic bag on the ground, according to the report.

The substance tested positive for meth, police said. Police did not say how much meth was in the bag.

Thomas said the cigarettes were his but didn’t know where the meth came from, according to the report. He later told police the meth was Augustus’. Augustus said it wasn’t.

Both men were arrested on a felony charge of possessing meth. They were taken to the Alachua County Jail.

Augustus was released Thursday afternoon on his own recognizance. Thomas remains in jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond, as of press time.

Augustus could not be reached for comment.

Contact Meryl Kornfield at mkornfield@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter at @merylkornfield.