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By Staff Reporter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a dramatic turn of events, Dwight Leon Jenkins Jr., aged 37, found himself in handcuffs after allegedly trying to mislead law enforcement by making a false 911 call about a shooting in a different area. Jenkins was also wanted in connection with five shoplifting cases.
At approximately 9:28 a.m. on March 17, officers from the Gainesville Police Department converged on a vacant apartment in Pineridge, where Jenkins had been illegally residing. Their mission was to serve him with outstanding warrants for multiple shoplifting offenses.
As officers announced their presence using a loudspeaker, the Combined Communications Center received a text to 911 claiming, “need officers to Northwood Pines, they shooting.” However, the dispatcher noticed no other reports of such an incident. By tracing the phone’s location, officers discovered the message had originated from the same Pineridge apartment, leading them to conclude that Jenkins had sent the text in an attempt to divert their attention from him.
Just over half an hour later, at 10:09 a.m., Jenkins reportedly emerged from the apartment and surrendered to the waiting officers.
An officer reported that Jenkins had a cell phone that was powered off, and he refused to answer any post-Miranda questions about texting or calling 911.
Jenkins has been charged with making a false 911 call, a misdemeanor, and was also booked on five warrants for shoplifting, all felonies because he has previous theft convictions. He has eight felony convictions (four violent) and six misdemeanor convictions (two violent), and he has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2022. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail on the new charge at $5,000, and the warrants had a combined bail of $55,000.
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.