Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Alpha Julius Solomon Franklin, 25, of Gainesville, and Jacari Rashard Washington, 28, of Jasper, were arrested yesterday on multiple charges after a search of their vehicle, based on the smell of marijuana, reportedly produced a large amount of stolen mail, including checks.

At about 2 p.m. yesterday, a Gainesville Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on a car driven by Franklin near the 380 mile marker of I-75 northbound because the car was following other cars too closely and had a cracked windshield. Washington was the front seat passenger in the car.

The officer reported that he could smell marijuana as he approached the car, and Franklin reportedly said he had recently smoked marijuana. A probable cause search of the car reportedly produced two marijuana “blunts” with “molly” sprinkled in them in the front seat area. The substances tested positive for MDMA.

The officer also reportedly found a large amount of mail in a trash bag on the front passenger floorboard, at Washington’s feet. Another stack of mail, including checks, was in the glove box. More checks were reportedly found in the back seat, along with Amazon packages, opened boxes, and more mail. None of the items were addressed to Franklin or Washington.

The officer attempted to contact the people whose names were on the stolen checks, but he was only able to reach five of the 100+ victims. Each victim reportedly said mail had been stolen from their mailboxes. One witness reported that surveillance video showed a white Kia K5 stopping by a mailbox where items were stolen, and she said she saw the same car drive by the next day. She said she had previously reported this to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The officer noted that the vehicle driven by Franklin was a white Kia K5 that is registered to Washington.

One victim said a check was cashed from his account without authorization, and four blank checks belonging to that victim that were “clearly forged” were reportedly found inside the car.

The officer also reported finding a bank card that did not belong to either defendant in a door pocket; several driver’s licenses were found in another door pocket. A Social Security card that didn’t belong to either of them was reportedly found in the glove box, along with another marijuana “blunt” and Washington’s cell phone.

The officer reported that the victims were mainly located in Newberry, Gainesville, Lake Butler, and Reddick, and “it is clear that [the defendants] were driving around stealing mail out of mailboxes and keeping any items of value, especially checks,” then “taking the checks located and attempting to cash them.” Some checks were written to the identities on the stolen driver’s licenses, to make them easier to cash.

The officer also reported finding two laptops in the car, one of which had over 20 blank checks tucked into it.

A search of Washington incident to arrest reportedly produced a bank card with somebody else’s name on it in his pocket.

The officer noted that this case will require extensive follow-up to determine how many people were victims of the mail thefts.

Post Miranda, Franklin reportedly admitted ownership of the “blunts” and said he sprinkles “molly” in blunts before rolling them. He denied ownership of the stolen mail, checks, and other items and said he was only driving Washington’s car because Washington did not have a valid driver’s license. However, the officer discovered at the scene that Franklin also did not have a valid driver’s license.

Post Miranda, Washington reportedly denied knowledge of any of the items in the car and said they all belonged to his cousin who asked him to take the items to his grandmother’s house.

Franklin has been charged with possession of identification cards of over 20 people, possession of a controlled substance, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of burglary tools (gloves), and driving without a valid license. He has lived in Alachua County his whole life and has four felony convictions (none violent) and one misdemeanor conviction (none violent). He is currently on probation for possession of a controlled substance and has an active warrant out of Georgia. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set his bail at $74,000.

Washington has been charged with possession of identification cards of over 20 people, possession of a controlled substance, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and possession of burglary tools (gloves). He does not live in Alachua County and, according to court records, said he had only been here for one day. He has no criminal convictions. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set his bail at $72,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.