Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kevin Gabriel Arias-Rivera, 28, has been sentenced to 180 days in jail, followed by three years of probation, after entering a plea of nolo contendere to possession of a short-barreled shotgun and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

A Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officer responded to Hunters Crossing Apartments at about 6:40 p.m. on April 4 after a woman who had been dating Arias-Rivera called 911 and reported that Arias-Rivera had taken her gun and would not give it back. During an argument over the gun, Arias-Rivera allegedly snatched the victim’s phone, punched her in the face, and pushed her to the ground. A witness reportedly corroborated the victim’s account of the incident.

Arias-Rivera reportedly brought out a different gun, a polymer copy of a Glock 23 without a serial number, and gave it to the victim in place of her Glock 23, which has a serial number. He allegedly put her gun in a backpack and drove away but returned a short time later without the backpack.

A GPD K-9 searched the apartment complex and reportedly found the backpack in a dumpster. A search of the backpack reportedly produced the victim’s Glock, a Taurus GC3, and a Winchester Ranger Model 140 12-gauge shotgun. The shotgun’s barrel and stock were reportedly sawed off to make it more concealable.

Arias-Rivera was originally charged with three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a short-barreled shotgun, obstructing communication with law enforcement, tampering with evidence, grand theft of a firearm, and domestic battery; formal charges of possession of a short-barreled shotgun and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon were filed two weeks after he was arrested.

Arias-Rivera’s original bail was set at $215,000, but after four of the original charges were dropped, he posted the remaining $120,000 bail in May. Yesterday he entered a plea of nolo contendere to the charges and was sentenced to 180 days in jail with credit for 38 days served, followed by three years of probation. He must also complete an anger management course and abstain from drugs and alcohol, with random screenings.

In 2016, Arias-Rivera was convicted on federal charges of carjacking with a firearm in Puerto Rico; he was sentenced to 87 months in prison, followed by three years of probation. His probation was terminated in Texas in August 2023.