GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Melanie A. Hawkins, 51, was arrested yesterday on allegations that she stole a vehicle belonging to a homeless man.
According to a Gainesville Police Department report, the victim said he allowed Hawkins to sleep in his van around October 14 after she lost her bed at GRACE Marketplace. He also permitted her to use the vehicle for DoorDash deliveries and provided her with a phone. However, Hawkins allegedly did not return the van and stopped responding to him on October 19. The victim reported the vehicle stolen the following day.
On October 28, Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies found the van at The Crossings at Santa Fe, located at 3205 NW 83rd Street, while responding to an unrelated call for service. Hawkins reportedly acknowledged that she had the vehicle. The victim confirmed that he wanted to pursue criminal charges.
Hawkins told Justice Support Services that she had been in the area for about a month. She faces a charge of grand theft of a motor vehicle. Her criminal history in Missouri and South Dakota from 1994 through 2015 is unspecified but includes at least one prison sentence. Judge Meshon Rawls ordered Hawkins released on her own recognizance.