Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Michael Vonzell Davis, 60, was arrested yesterday and charged with burglary, grand theft over $5,000, and organized dealing in stolen property after allegedly stealing lottery tickets worth $5,700 from a convenience store and then cashing in the winning tickets and giving tickets to other people to cash in.

A Gainesville Police Department officer responded on May 5 to the Circle K at 20 NE Waldo Road, where staff said a man had entered an office marked “Employees Only,” located an unlocked safe, and took 11 unactivated Florida Lottery ticket books valued at $5,700. The man could be seen on surveillance video leaving the office with the ticket books. Staff realized later in the day that the ticket books had been stolen and reported the theft to the security division at the Florida Lottery.

Two of the ticket books became activated after they were stolen, and various people brought winning tickets from the stolen ticket books back to the Circle K to collect the prizes.

The Florida Lottery sent GPD a list of locations where the stolen lottery tickets were cashed, and one of those was Winn Dixie Liquors at 300 SW 16th Avenue. An officer made contact with management at the store and was able to view store surveillance video at the time of the transaction; the officer reported that Davis is clearly shown cashing the tickets for about $95 on the video.

An officer made consensual contact with Davis on June 12 and requested his identification, then went back and watched the video from the Circle K theft and positively identified the person in the video as Davis.

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Davis is also facing a sworn complaint after he was allegedly found sleeping in a vacant house in April. He has been charged with trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia in that case.

Davis was arrested in December 2021 at the Food Max on E. University Avenue and charged with cocaine possession, but the charge was later dropped. He was arrested again in March 2022 at GRACE Marketplace and charged with possession of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia, but the charges were later dropped.

Davis has 20 felony convictions (two violent) and 34 misdemeanor convictions (one violent). He has served nine state prison sentences and was last released in June 2020 after serving a 15-year sentence on Alachua County charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and shooting into a building or vehicle. He is a designated Career Offender.

Bail information is unavailable on weekends.

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.