ARCHER, Fla. – Leonard Mitchell McCoy Jr., 48, was arrested yesterday after allegedly punching a co-worker and failing to report a change of address as a registered career offender.
Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies were called to Fletcher Park, in the 12000 block of SW 122nd Street, at about 12:20 p.m. on October 12. The alleged victim told deputies that he and McCoy argued in the back of a work truck before McCoy punched him. The man reportedly suffered a severe cut above his eye, with blood running down his face. McCoy told Court Services that he works for a landscaping company.
McCoy reportedly acknowledged arguing with the man and striking him in the head, but claimed he acted in self-defense after being hit first. Deputies said they found no visible injuries on McCoy, and they found no video or witness statements supporting his account.
Deputies arrested McCoy on a battery charge. During the arrest, he allegedly pulled away from officers and refused repeated lawful orders to place his hands behind his back.
While deputies escorted him to a patrol vehicle, McCoy allegedly pulled away again, kicked against the side of the vehicle and physically resisted efforts to put him inside. He also reportedly shouted at other co-workers who remained at the scene.
McCoy asked deputies to take his backpack to the jail. As part of an inventory search intended to prevent contraband from entering the facility, deputies reportedly found several small baggies containing a white powdery residue that tested positive for methamphetamine.
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The backpack also reportedly contained a substantial amount of clothing and hygiene supplies that deputies said appeared consistent with someone living a transient or homeless lifestyle.
McCoy reportedly showed deputies a driver’s license listing a Gainesville address. A records check indicated that he had not reported his current address since at least August 2025, when an officer visited the listed residence and learned that McCoy had not lived there since May 2025. Despite those findings, McCoy reportedly maintained that he lived at the Gainesville address.
McCoy, who is registered as a career offender, faces charges of felony battery with a previous battery conviction, failure to register as a career offender, resisting an officer without violence and possession of drug equipment. He has three felony convictions, including one violent offense, and has served two state prison sentences. He was most recently released in June 2024 after completing a 15-year sentence for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $105,000.