ARCHER, Fla. – Jonah Levon Godbolt, 23, was arrested last night after allegedly fleeing from a deputy, crashing his vehicle in a wooded area, leaving the crash site and falsely claiming he had been carjacked.
On the evening of November 3, an Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy was conducting proactive criminal enforcement from an elevated position alongside the road when a silver sedan passed with inoperable taillights. The deputy also smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle. The driver was described as a Black male with long dreadlocks who was wearing dark shorts and a white shirt.
The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle near SW 132nd Avenue and State Road 45. Instead, the driver sped away, turning onto SW 134th Avenue before the deputy lost sight of the sedan.
Approximately 45 minutes later, the deputy was dispatched to a report of an armed carjacking in the same area. Godbolt, who made the 911 call, allegedly told authorities that three people had taken his vehicle at gunpoint while he was stopped at an intersection in Archer. He said the suspects had driven toward Gainesville.
The deputy noticed that Godbolt matched the description of the silver sedan’s driver. He had long dreadlocks, was wearing dark shorts, was carrying a white shirt and was barefoot. The deputy also detected the odor of marijuana. When asked whether he had been driving the sedan that fled, Godbolt reportedly denied being behind the wheel but said the fleeing vehicle was likely his.
MUST READ: Texas GOP Blame Game Erupts as Ken Paxton Turns on Trump
The deputy then saw plant burrs and leaves on Godbolt’s clothing. When questioned about them, Godbolt reportedly said he had run into the woods after his vehicle. The deputy noted that this explanation conflicted with Godbolt’s earlier account that his car had been taken at an intersection and driven toward Gainesville.
Godbolt reportedly showed the deputy a photograph of his sedan, which closely matched the silver vehicle involved in the traffic stop and pursuit.
As the deputy continued speaking with Godbolt, other deputies located his sedan crashed in a wooded area near SW 134th Avenue and SW 170th Street, along the route taken by the fleeing vehicle. A shoe was found near the wrecked car. Deputies investigating the vehicle also collected plant burrs and leaves on their clothing, similar to those found on Godbolt, reinforcing the deputy’s belief that Godbolt had crashed the sedan and abandoned it in the woods.
Godbolt faces charges of fleeing from law enforcement with emergency lights and sirens activated, filing a false report and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage. He has five prior nonviolent felony convictions and two nonviolent misdemeanor convictions. He was also on probation for possession of drugs with intent to sell and reckless driving. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $60,000 on the new charges and ordered Godbolt held without bail until the alleged probation violation is resolved.