By Staff Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a case that has raised eyebrows, 66-year-old Richard Vine Newton was taken into custody yesterday, accused of stealing three vehicles and attempting to sell them by posing as their rightful owner to a local metal recycling facility.

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office became involved after a deputy received information that Newton had visited a metal recycling center on three separate occasions over the past week. One of the vehicles he attempted to sell had been flagged as stolen, prompting further investigation.

When approached by law enforcement, Newton recounted an unusual series of events. He claimed that while he was walking through his apartment complex after disposing of trash, he was approached by an unfamiliar white man in a pickup truck. According to Newton, the stranger asked for assistance in selling a vehicle for cash, to which Newton agreed. He explained that the man revealed he lacked a valid driver’s license, leading Newton to take the wheel of the truck.

Newton narrated that they traveled to a site near T.B. McPherson Park, where the stranger pointed out a parked vehicle he claimed was his own but admitted he was unsure how to move it to a junkyard. Newton, professing experience with towing, reportedly realized that “coincidentally, the unknown male had a tow strap for the occasion.” He then used the strap to tow the vehicle to the recycling business. There, Newton signed the necessary paperwork, as the stranger did not possess a driver’s license, and received a check for the vehicle’s value.

The deputy viewed surveillance video that showed Newton driving the truck to the metal recycling business, with a young black male in the passenger seat, not a white male.

Another deputy investigated two other vehicles that had been sold by Newton to the metal recycling business and found that they were registered to a father and son with an address in Orange Park. The father said both vehicles should be parked at an address in Gainesville, and the son went to the address and told the deputy that both vehicles were gone.

Newton has been charged with dealing in stolen property, three counts of grand theft of a motor vehicle, uttering false documents, and theft. He has seven felony convictions (one violent) and 15 misdemeanor convictions (two violent) and has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2015. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $82,000.

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.