Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Keenon Jamal Richardson, 23, was arrested early this morning after deputies reportedly found a stolen revolver under his seat during a traffic stop.

At about 3:08 a.m. on August 25, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Richardson after he allegedly failed to stop while pulling out of a gas station near the intersection of Tower Road and W. Newberry Road. The arresting deputy noted that Richardson was the only occupant of the car and has a juvenile gang history.

Richardson reportedly handed an ID card to the deputy, and a query of his driver’s license showed that it had been suspended since 2021. Richardson reportedly was unable to provide registration or insurance information for the vehicle, which he did not own. The deputy reported that Richardson was “initially untruthful with deputies about his juvenile criminal history involving a firearm and drugs.”

The owner of the vehicle reportedly gave consent for a search, and the search produced a loaded revolver under the driver’s seat; the revolver had been reported stolen in Jacksonville. The revolver was not in a holster and was positioned with the handle toward the front.

Post Miranda, Richardson reportedly said the revolver belonged to someone else, and he said he didn’t know it was in the vehicle. However, he was familiar with the gun and said he and the other person had shot it recently in the woods.

Deputies spoke with the person who shot the revolver with Richardson, and he reportedly denied owning the gun and said Richardson had brought it to the woods and had then left with it. The owner of the vehicle reportedly said she didn’t know anything about the gun.

Richardson has been charged with grand theft of a firearm, unlawfully concealing a firearm, and driving with a suspended license after a previous conviction. He has a juvenile conviction from 2019 and one adult misdemeanor conviction for driving without a license. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $42,000.

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.