Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Last week in a non-jury trial, Judge David Kreider found that Kelvin James Allen, 20, was guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and sentenced him to 15 years in state prison.

Allen was arrested on February 20, 2024, and charged with armed burglary of a residence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; at the time, he was on probation following a plea deal for second-degree murder after he was charged with shooting two people when he was 16 and sentenced to two years in prison as a youthful offender, followed by four years of probation. The charges from the February 20 arrest were dropped in July 2024.

However, before the arrest, Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies had been investigating several local shooting incidents, and a search warrant reportedly produced a “live” Instagram video showing Allen with several firearms. A sworn complaint was filed, charging Allen with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and Allen was booked on that charge while he was in jail on the February 20 charges.

Allen requested a non-jury trial, and that trial was held on February 7, with the prosecution team led by Assistant State Attorney Ryan Nagel. Allen was given credit for the 340 days he had already served in the county jail.