Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Javon Reshard Myhand, Sr., 32, was arrested yesterday and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after a deputy who was responding to a report that Myhand had been robbed found a gun in his hotel room.

At about 8 a.m. on January 12, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the Baymont Inn (6901 NW 4th Blvd), where a caller had reported that Myhand was robbed at gunpoint in his room by a man and a woman.

While investigating the call, the deputy learned that a firearm had been seen in Myhand’s room; Myhand has four felony convictions, and the deputy also noted that he has a history of gang association, burglary, and weapons and narcotics offenses.

The woman who had allegedly robbed Myhand told the deputy that she had gone to Myhand’s room that morning to pay him $10 for drugs he had previously given her. She reported that when she was inside the room, she saw a small handgun between the mattress and box spring. She described the gun as being “small” and “dark in color.”

Myhand reportedly said he didn’t know of anything illegal in his room, but later he said there were narcotics in the room and in the bag of a woman who shared the room with him, but he said the woman was not involved in illegal activity in any way.

The woman who shared the room with Myhand reportedly said her only belongings were in a small bag near the front door, but she added that before the deputy arrived, Myhand had given her several pieces of folded men’s clothing and asked her to take them with her when she left. She said she didn’t have any firearms or narcotics.

Myhand and the woman reportedly gave deputies consent to search the room, and the search reportedly produced a silver and black Bersa SA .380 that was wrapped in a t-shirt and placed inside a pair of men’s jeans in the woman’s bag. The gun was loaded with three bullets.

The woman reportedly said at first that the gun was hers, but she was unable to describe the make, model, or caliber, and she said she thought it was all black. She later reportedly admitted that the gun was not hers. When asked if the gun belonged to Myhand, she reportedly said she had not seen him with it, but the only way it could have gotten in her bag was in the folded clothing he had asked her to take.

Myhand reportedly said the gun was not his but was just in his room.

Myhand has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He has juvenile convictions between 2001 and 2010, four adult felony convictions (two violent), and 10 adult misdemeanor convictions (four violent); he has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2023. His most recent sentence was for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $50,000.

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.