A Gainesville man was arrested on suspicion of inappropriately touching a minor.
Matthew Hernandez, 18, was arrested after reportedly sexually battering the victim in a house party at the Theta Chi Fraternity house Oct. 5.
Florida’s 2024 legislative session saw an unprecedented and extensive wave of criminal justice reform efforts, many of which were vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The vetoes have sparked concerns from prison rights advocates and previously incarcerated individuals in Alachua County.
An 18-year-old Gainesville High School student, Andre Steven Foster, was arrested Friday for accusations of sexual battery involving a 14-year-old girl at the GHS 9th Grade Center.
In the messages, the student stated, "I will go to your school tomorrow... There is going to be a shootout," prompting immediate concern from school staff and law enforcement.
Gainesville Police Department officers responded to reports of domestic aggravated assault Friday involving two siblings.
Upon arrival, the woman, who is six months pregnant, informed law enforcement that she had been assaulted by a coworker, identified as Keyly Suazo-Garcia, 39.
Moya began his career in Palm Bay, Florida, where he served as the department’s chief in 2019. He moved to Suffolk County, New York, in 2022, where he led various justice intervention efforts and launched the county's first Threat Assessment and Management team.
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.
Solutions by The State News
