Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Joshuia Bernard Jenkins, 34, was arrested on December 15 for shoplifting and drug possession, just days after he was released from the Alachua County Jail; the arrest was his seventh of 2024.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy reported that he was patrolling the Tower Road area at about 7:40 a.m. on December 15 and entered the Exxon gas station at 1633 SW 75th Street. He saw Jenkins carrying a duffel bag, and the store manager told him Jenkins had put merchandise into the bag and was in the process of leaving the store without paying.

The merchandise was reportedly worth $112.48.

Jenkins was transported to the jail, where officers reportedly found marijuana in a baggie in his pants pocket. Jenkins was reportedly searched before entering the jail and was also asked whether he had any contraband on him, and he said he did not.

Post Miranda, Jenkins reportedly said he did not understand his rights, so he was not questioned.

Jenkins has been charged with felony petit theft with two or more prior convictions, smuggling contraband into a detention center, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jenkins has eight felony convictions (two violent) and 23 misdemeanor convictions (five violent). He has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in May 2021. He has been arrested 12 times in Alachua County since May 2021, including seven arrests in 2024. He served a six-month jail sentence in 2023 after being adjudicated guilty for hitting a ninth-grader on an RTS bus.

He was arrested in February 2024 for trespassing at the Wawa on W. University Avenue; after entering a plea of nolo contendere, he was fined $376 and released in March, but he has not paid the fine. About two weeks later, a sworn complaint was filed against him for shoplifting cough drops; the officer in that case noted that he seemed to have an intellectual or developmental disability and was unable to answer questions in complete sentences.

In early April, Jenkins was trespassed from GRACE Marketplace, and he was arrested in May for sleeping on the basketball court at GRACE; post Miranda, he said he didn’t have anywhere else to go. In early June, he was referred to Mental Health Court, but Jenkins reportedly declined, saying he was only facing a misdemeanor charge and expected to be released at his next hearing. Two days later, he entered a plea of nolo contendere to the charge and was sentenced to 30 days in jail with credit for 27 days served. He was again fined $376, and that fine has not been paid.

Three days after that court appearance, Jenkins was arrested for shoplifting; he was again referred to Mental Health Court and again declined. On August 7, he was sentenced to two months in jail with credit for 62 days served. He was fined another $376 and has not paid the fine. On that date, he was sentenced to an additional 10 days in jail for the April sworn complaint, with credit for three days served and a fine of $276 that has not been paid.

In early September, Jenkins was arrested for violating a previous trespass order from the University of Florida campus. He was released on his own recognizance on September 23 but failed to make contact with Court Services in the days following his release; a warrant for his arrest was issued, and he was arrested again on October 6 for violating a trespass order at the Wawa on W. University Avenue. Formal charges were filed in the UF trespassing case on October 22, and then the charges were dropped on December 13, when he entered a plea of nolo contendere to the Wawa trespassing case and was sentenced to 69 days in jail with credit for 60 days served. He was released and then arrested again on December 15.

Judge Kristine Van Vorst ordered him held on $37,500 bail.

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.