GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Zabyon Cordell James, 19, and Edward James Slatter Jr., 20, have been charged with loitering and prowling as authorities investigate a stolen vehicle connected to a series of burglaries.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. on October 13, an Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy went to the 4500 block of SE 2nd Place after a stolen white Nissan was located. The vehicle had been taken during a string of car burglaries reported the night before.
Before the Nissan was found, Gainesville Police Department officers said it had been spotted on SE 43rd Street. Law enforcement searched the surrounding area until deputies located the vehicle facing east on SE 2nd Place. It was still running and in Drive.
A citizen had earlier reported seeing three or four Black males inside the vehicle, including one wearing gray sweatpants and a black jacket. The caller also said at least one of the occupants had a firearm.
After the stolen Nissan was located, a deputy encountered James and Slatter walking north on the 100 block of NE 47th Street. Both were wearing black hooded jackets, and James was dressed in gray sweatpants.
According to the deputy, the two men said a girlfriend had dropped them off at Eastwood Meadows and that they were walking to a nearby convenience store. The deputy noted that it was 11:49 p.m. and that there were no stores open in the northbound direction “for dozens of miles.”
While the deputy spoke with them, one of the men reportedly said their ride had arrived. The vehicle stopped, but its driver was an area resident who said he did not know either man.
The two men then reportedly said they had been mistaken and believed the driver was one of their girlfriends. The deputy described both as nervous and sweating. When asked whether they lived nearby, each man said he did not.
A K-9 team conducted a track from the stolen Nissan, and the trail reportedly led to the area where the deputy had encountered James and Slatter. The deputy then detained both men.
After being read his Miranda rights, James initially repeated that his girlfriend had dropped him and Slatter off in Eastwood Meadows and that they were walking to a store. When the deputy told him a caller had described his clothing, James reportedly admitted he had been inside the stolen vehicle with Edwards and said he ran because police were following. He reportedly did not answer when asked who had been driving, whether anyone inside had a weapon or why they were traveling in a stolen car.
During an interview with a Gainesville police officer, James reportedly first said he had been in another vehicle belonging to his girlfriend. He later changed that account, according to the report.
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As James was being escorted to a patrol vehicle, the deputy pointed toward the stolen Nissan and asked where he had been sitting. James reportedly said he had been seated on the back right side of the vehicle.
Slatter reportedly denied being involved and said there was no evidence he had been inside the Nissan. During transport to the jail, however, he reportedly changed his story and said he had been walking when he encountered James.
According to authorities, the two men provided several conflicting accounts during interviews with Gainesville police.
The men’s girlfriends later arrived and reportedly said they had not seen either man since the pair left one girlfriend’s home on SW 20th Avenue about an hour earlier. One girlfriend said the men left in a black car. The deputy wrote that the information contradicted their explanations of why they were on the east side of Gainesville, how they got there and whether they had been together before encountering him.
The deputy wrote that the men had lied about their activities and that James had acknowledged being inside the stolen Nissan and fleeing from police. The deputy concluded there was probable cause for loitering and prowling charges because the vehicle was linked to “numerous” burglaries and the men were in an unfamiliar area without providing a credible explanation for their presence.
The deputy reported that both men were on probation, although court records indicate that only Slatter is currently on probation.
The Gainesville Police Department’s investigation into the vehicle burglaries remains ongoing.
James faces a loitering and prowling charge. He has a 2023 juvenile conviction but no adult criminal history. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him released on his own recognizance and required him to submit 20 job applications each week until he finds employment.
Slatter also faces a loitering and prowling charge. His record includes juvenile convictions from 2022 through 2024 and two adult felony convictions, both involving violence. He is on probation, and Judge Miller-Jones set his bail at $5,000.