Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Nathail Eugene Harrington, Jr., 31, was arrested early this morning after allegedly backing a stolen car into a patrol vehicle and then fleeing from deputies.

At about 3:30 a.m. on March 14, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy located a Dodge Magnum that had been reported stolen at the Circle K at 4310 SE Hawthorne Road. The deputy pulled his patrol vehicle behind the stolen car and turned on his lights, instructing the driver to remain in the vehicle and keep his hands outside the car door. The deputy reported that the driver kept putting his hands inside the vehicle and had to be ordered “numerous” times to keep them outside the vehicle.

After several minutes, Harrington allegedly closed the car door and backed the car into the deputy’s patrol vehicle before driving east on SE Hawthorne Road.

Click here for a video of the incident.

Stop sticks were deployed in the Grove Park area, disabling the Magnum, but deputies reportedly found that the Magnum was empty. Deputies determined that a person walking along the roadway was the driver, and he was detained and identified as Harrington.

A search of a backpack found in the Magnum reportedly produced a zip-lock bag containing about 37.6 ounces of marijuana, empty zip-lock bags, and a scale.

Harrington has been charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, fleeing, property damage over $200, resisting an officer without violence, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Harrington has six felony convictions (three violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (none violent); he has served five state prison sentences, with his most recent release in June 2024. He was arrested on January 8, 2025, and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle (a rental car that had been reported stolen) and possession of 143 grams of marijuana; bail was initially set at $50,000, but Judge Denise Ferrero ordered him released on his own recognizance for substance abuse treatment on January 22.

Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $250,000 on the new charges.

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.