Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jordan Caleb Pittman, 22, was arrested early this morning and charged with armed robbery after allegedly pulling a knife on a restaurant employee who tried to stop him from walking out on an unpaid $128 bill.

At about 10:30 p.m. on January 19, Pittman reportedly finished his meal at Mr. and Mrs. Crab in Butler Plaza and attempted to pay the $128.75 bill with a debit card. When the debit card was declined, Pittman allegedly left the card at the restaurant and walked out; when an employee tried to stop him, Pittman allegedly pulled a large fixed-blade knife from his pocket and said, “If you get any closer, I’ll stab [you].” The victim said he believed Pittman would stab him and stopped trying to collect the payment.

The victim gave the debit card, which had Pittman’s name on it, to the responding Gainesville Police Department officer, and another employee provided a description of Pittman’s neck tattoo.

The investigation led to the identification of Pittman as the person who owned the debit card and allegedly pulled the knife on the victim, and Pittman was arrested early this morning.

Post Miranda, Pittman reportedly admitted that he ate at Mr. and Mrs. Crab and refused to pay his bill. He said he remembered the manager following him when he left the business. A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a large knife.

Pittman is also facing a sworn complaint for petit theft after allegedly placing $98.16 in items in his backpack at the Butler Plaza Walmart and walking out of the store without paying for them.

Pittman, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been in the area for about three months. He has a juvenile criminal history between 2011 and 2020, one adult felony conviction (non-violent), and three misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He has served one state prison sentence for burglary out of Bradford County and was released in April 2023. Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $50,000.

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.