GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a dramatic turn of events, 43-year-old Nathaniel Carter III found himself facing a raft of serious charges following his arrest on allegations of armed threats and drug possession. Carter was apprehended and charged with 14 felonies and a misdemeanor after reportedly brandishing a firearm at a family member and discarding a package filled with trafficking-level quantities of illegal substances.
Shortly after 4 p.m. on August 19, the tranquility of a home in the Linton Oaks area, specifically along the 6100 block of SW 11th Place, was shattered. Responding to reports of an armed disturbance, Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies engaged with a distraught family member. She alleged that an argument erupted between her and Carter over some missing money. During the confrontation, Carter reportedly became threatening, prompting her to capture the unsettling moment on her smartphone. Allegedly wielding a tan handgun, Carter threatened violence unless she returned the missing funds.
In a bid to protect herself, the victim claimed she armed herself with a kitchen knife before contacting emergency services and stepping outside to await the arrival of law enforcement. As proof of the peril she faced, she presented the deputies with a video that purportedly captured Carter’s menacing gestures as he threatened her with the firearm.
Upon securing permission to conduct a search, deputies uncovered a small package surreptitiously tossed over a fence on the property’s east side, further complicating the already tense situation.
An examination of the discarded bag revealed a concerning find:
- A tan Taurus G3 9mm pistol, loaded with 15 rounds;
- 34 “apple-seed” baggies containing a substance that tested positive for fentanyl, with a total weight of about 12 grams — three times Florida’s trafficking threshold for fentanyl;
- A large bag containing “numerous” pills identified as Xanax, with a total weight of about 10.5 grams;
- A bag containing eight oxycodone hydrochloride pills, with a total weight of about 1.7 grams;
- A bag containing “numerous” pills that appeared to be MDMA/ecstasy and tested positive as meth/amphetamine, with a total weight of about 25.2 grams, above Florida’s trafficking threshold for meth/amphetamine;
- A bag labeled “Candy Hulk” containing about 45.4 grams of marijuana;
- Four “apple-seed” baggies of marijuana, with a total weight of about 3 grams;
- A digital scale;
- Several hundred “apple-seed” baggies;
- A razor blade.
A deputy noted that the “large quantity and variety of drugs, coupled with the scale, cutting razor, and hundreds of empty plastic bags, as well as the dozens of individually packaged baggies, were all strong indicators of street-level drug sales.” The pistol, which looked exactly like the one in the video provided by the victim, linked Carter to the drugs that were found in the same bag.
Post Miranda, Carter, who is a convicted felon, denied possessing a firearm, even after he was shown the video; he also denied threatening the victim. He said the victim had threatened him with a knife, but he did not want to press charges; however, he later reportedly contradicted himself and said the victim never threatened him with a knife. He reportedly admitted to selling drugs to make money so he could afford a glucose monitor, but he later denied knowing anything about the drugs.
Carter has been charged with possession of trafficking quantities of fentanyl, possession of trafficking quantities of meth/amphetamine, two counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession with intent to sell marijuana, possession with intent to sell fentanyl, possession with intent to sell meth/amphetamine, possession with intent to sell oxycodone, possession with intent to sell alprazolam (Xanax), possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, tampering with evidence, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to transport drugs, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Carter has one state felony conviction (non-violent) and five state misdemeanor convictions (two violent); he has served one state prison sentence and was released in 2019. He also has a federal criminal history spanning 2004-2016, including a prison sentence for selling cocaine. Judge William Davis ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.