Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jarvius Antonio Mason, 25, was arrested yesterday on a warrant for an October armed robbery at the Come N Go convenience store; Mason allegedly pretended a sledgehammer was a gun and then used the sledgehammer to damage gambling machines and steal money from the machines.

At about 2:20 p.m. on October 4, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to the Come N Go convenience store (1150 NE 16th Avenue), where an employee said three suspects had robbed the store while armed with a sledgehammer.

The employee said one of the female suspects held the door open while the male, later identified as Mason, entered with a drawstring bag over his hand, pretending he had a gun. Meanwhile, she said, the second female suspect went behind the counter and took cash from the register while Mason rushed toward a back storeroom. The employee activated the silent alarm before the suspects left in a small SUV; the employee gave police the tag number of the vehicle.

A customer reportedly said that when the three suspects entered the store, one of the females said, “You all know what the deal is.” He said he left the store when Mason went into the back room.

Surveillance video reportedly corroborated the employee’s story and also showed Mason in the back storeroom, where he allegedly produced a sledgehammer from the drawstring bag and used it to smash open multiple gambling machines. In the video, one of the female suspects can be seen collecting the cash and money boxes from the machines while Mason continues to smash more machines.

The tag number led to a residence, where a search warrant reportedly produced the sledgehammer and the clothing worn by one of the female suspects.

Officers recognized Mason from previous interactions, and the customer and employee reportedly identified him in a photo line-up.

About $2,000 in cash was stolen and about $2,100 in damage resulted from the incident.

Whitney Elizabeth English, 33, was arrested on November 3 for her part in the robbery; she has been formally charged with armed robbery. The second female suspect has not yet been arrested.

Mason was arrested yesterday on two warrants when he was a passenger in a car pulled over by an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy for a traffic infraction. The second warrant was for possession of a controlled substance after he allegedly returned to the Santa Fe Work Release Center in August 2023 with 12.8 grams of bath salts.

Mason has been charged with armed robbery, grand theft, and possession of a controlled substance. He has juvenile convictions between 2011 and 2017 and four adult felony convictions; he was released from state prison in March after serving a four-year sentence. Judge Kristine Van Vorst ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial.

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.