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Staff Report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 23-year-old man, Keenon Jamal Richardson, was taken into custody last night following a traffic stop where authorities reportedly discovered a stolen firearm and 21 grams of marijuana.
On April 15, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy identified images of a stolen handgun posted on a social media account believed to belong to Richardson. These images displayed a Glock 43X with a serial number matching a pistol reported stolen on April 12. The social media account also featured photos of Richardson at the Hidden Oaks Mobile Home Park.
While conducting surveillance at Hidden Oaks, deputies observed Richardson entering a black vehicle that subsequently exited the neighborhood. The deputy noted that the vehicle exceeded the speed limit, traveling at 53 mph in a zone marked for 45 mph. Additionally, the car lacked a functioning tag light and failed to stop at a designated stop line at 9100 SW 8th Avenue. At approximately 9:15 p.m., the deputy initiated a traffic stop and identified Richardson as the front seat passenger.
The deputy noted a strong odor of both burnt and raw marijuana emanating from the vehicle. The driver admitted they had recently “smoked” in the car, but neither individual possessed a medical marijuana prescription. The driver also informed the deputy that a gun was located in the driver’s side door pocket.
A probable cause search of the car reportedly produced about 0.4 grams of loose marijuana flower bud on the floorboard on Richardson’s side; a tobacco leaf product that contained raw marijuana and weighed about 4.1 grams in the center console; a bag of raw marijuana weighing 21.2 grams behind the driver’s seat; the stolen Glock pistol next to the marijuana, loaded with eight rounds and with its grip toward the front, as if it had been hastily placed there; a holstered Smith & Wesson handgun in the driver’s side door pocket; and an additional Smith & Wesson magazine in the glove compartment.
Post Miranda, the driver denied knowing anything about the stolen pistol or the marijuana.
Post Miranda, Richardson reportedly denied at first that he knew anything about the marijuana (except for a “blunt”) or the stolen gun and said nothing in the car belonged to him; he also denied posting any recent photos of guns. When the deputy showed Richardson the pictures from his social media account, which reportedly included his “clearly visible face” and the stolen gun, he reportedly changed his story.
Richardson reportedly denied stealing the Glock pistol; he said he had bought it from an unknown person on social media for $300 earlier in the day, and he posted it on social media “to see what he could get for it.” He reportedly admitted bringing the pistol into the car and said it had initially been placed between his seat and the center console.
At the jail, Richardson reportedly provided consent for the deputy to search his phone, and he showed the deputy messages that corroborated his claim that he had purchased the Glock pistol from an unknown person on April 15. Richardson said the seller had told him the firearm was registered in the seller’s name and was brand new, which the deputy said was corroborated by messages between Richardson and his cousin.
The deputy reported that during the search of Richardson’s cell phone, he saw that a video of a bag of raw marijuana had been sent to the driver of the car, along with messages that discussed low-level marijuana transactions. Richardson denied selling any marijuana, but he admitted that he had delivered marijuana to the driver of the car that day, and he reportedly eventually admitted that the bag of marijuana found in the car belonged to him.
The deputy noted that Richardson was arrested in August 2025 for possession of another stolen firearm, but he believed Richardson “probably did not know this Glock was stolen.”
Richardson has been charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, delivering a controlled substance (marijuana), and using a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony. Richardson has a juvenile conviction from 2019 and two traffic convictions; he was arrested in 2024 for aggravated battery of a pregnant victim, but the charges were later dropped, and the 2025 stolen gun case can no longer be found on the court’s website. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $130,000.
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.