The charges arose from an investigation that began after Joel Bruce Searby, 48, engaged in inappropriate conversations with a juvenile through Snapchat.
Loran Kenstley Cole, 57, became the first person to be executed in Florida in 2024, marking the 13th execution this year and the 106th in Florida since the United States Supreme Court’s reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cybertip from Kik, an online messaging app, on “child exploitation” May 29 related to a user under the name “jamestk91.” The tip included 18 pornographic videos depicting both pre-pubescent and pubescent minors shared in private chats from April 19 to April 22, according to the arrest report.
The Gainesville Police Department arrested a pastor Sunday on suspicion of raping his 15-year-old niece, who was booked into UF Health Shands Hospital for examination a day after the incident.
From fiscal years 2018 to 2022, 3,996 minors like Mikhail Lawson have been transferred to the adult judicial system. During the same period in the 8th Judicial Circuit, 132 minors have been taken to criminal court, with approximately 63% being Black, according to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
Gainesville police arrested a man Thursday on suspicion of voyeurism involving a minor after sneaking into a women’s restroom to meet a woman for sex.
Jeremiah Gibson, a 21-year-old Jasper resident, was arrested alongside 23-year-old Lake City resident Calvin Souter and 24-year-old Live Oak resident Demoundre Evans for committing crimes across Alachua and Suwannee Counties, including multiple burglaries, two attempted home invasions and a home invasion, according to the arrest report.
The Gainesville Police Department arrested a 22-year-old registered sex offender Tuesday on suspicion of sending sexually explicit material to a minor in violation of her probation.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody along with the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers, Florida’s Sheriffs Association and Florida Department of Corrections announced June 10 that over 5,000 decks will be sent across the state with the purpose of generating new cold case leads from inmates, according to an Office of the Attorney General news release.
On Wednesday, a Gainesville man allegedly attempted to run over a man with his car following a heated argument about money.
On June 21, the Gainesville Police Department and Alachua County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call made about a possible active shooter and hostage situation inside of a bathroom at The Oaks Mall, which later turned out to be unfounded.
Searby initiated conversation with the 15-year-old boy through Snapchat June 19 and sent a detailed description of sexual encounters Searby had with older adults when he was around the same age as the boy.
On Monday, William Briscoe was arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of his girlfriend’s son, who escaped the incident unscathed.
UF physical therapy professor Giana Musolino damaged an 81-year-old man’s car in a Texas Roadhouse parking lot June 2 and was later apprehended by police Monday.
When 80-year-old Richard Thomas got a call from his grandson from jail asking for $5,000, he told his son, Ernest Thomas. Thomas immediately began the drive to Gainesville from his home in Miami to grab his son. There was only one problem: the grandson, 21-year-old UF student Nathan Thomas, wasn’t in jail. He was studying in his room and never called his grandfather.
For formerly incarcerated people, transitioning back to civilian life can be difficult, whether it’s finding a job that will take them or finding housing. Released Reentry hopes to close that gap.
A Gainesville middle school was placed on “secure status” Monday while officers found two people accused of stealing a handgun from a nearby home.
Emmanuel Espinoza first appeared in court April 7 for the charges. His bond for destroying or tampering with evidence is set to $5,000, and he received no bond for first degree murder.
From tracking fleeing burglary suspects to finding missing persons, spotting house fires and providing disaster relief, the unit’s two military surplus helicopters are equipped to both respond to crimes and prevent them from happening.
A UF pre-med student was arrested Saturday for allegedly stabbing his mother to death at their home in Polk County.
Solutions by The State News
