Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Javaris Eugene Kates, 34, was arrested yesterday for allegedly stealing a car after finding keys that had been accidentally dropped.

A Gainesville Police Department Detective reported that the victim unknowingly dropped her keys on the morning of July 22 when she was leaving her apartment; she was picked up by someone else that morning and did not realize that her keys were missing until she got home that evening and noticed that her car was gone.

The victim reviewed video from her doorbell camera and saw a black male, later identified as Kates, walking along the hall when he appeared to see the keys on the ground. The man knocked on the door, but there was no answer; the doorbell camera reportedly captured a clear picture of the man when he knocked on the door. The man walked away but returned about six minutes later, picked up the keys, and left again. The detective reported that the keys could clearly be seen in the man’s hand as he walked away.

The victim had put an AirTag on the keys, and she provided the location of the AirTag, which pinged at the pool area of the Days Inn (920 NW 69th Terrace). She said the last ping was at 8:11 p.m. and that the AirTag had apparently been deactivated at that time.

Units from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and Gainesville Police Department responded to the Days Inn and reportedly found the victim’s vehicle parked in the parking lot. The victim recovered the vehicle, but the keys and AirTag were not found.

Another detective used facial recognition software to identify the man on the doorbell video as Kates. On August 7, an officer went to the Days Inn to request surveillance video, but a manager reportedly said there are no exterior surveillance cameras at the business. However, the manager reportedly recognized Kates and said that although he had not registered as a guest of the hotel, he had been staying there recently with a relative whose last name was Kates.

The detective noted that the relative’s room was just two rooms away from the pool area and right around the corner from the parking spot where the vehicle was found.

Two witnesses who had known Kates well in the past reportedly identified him in the doorbell video and provided his name to the detective.

Kates, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has 12 felony convictions (four violent) and 19 misdemeanor convictions (five violent); he has served four state prison sentences and was just released on July 12, 2025, after serving a three-year sentence for battery on a person over 65. He is currently on probation in the same case. Judge William Davis set bail on the new charge at $50,000; Kates will also be booked for violating probation.

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.