GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jason Randell Dowling Sr., 39, of Middleburg, was arrested September 18 after allegedly stealing more than $500 worth of merchandise from Lowe’s and pawning the items shortly afterward. He has since been linked to four additional alleged shoplifting and tool-pawning incidents.
A Gainesville Police Department detective reviewing Dowling’s recent pawn activity reportedly found an unusual pattern: he had been taking large quantities of brand-new tools to pawn shops. Some remained in their original retail packaging, while others had been removed from the boxes but showed no signs of use.
According to the detective, Dowling made 17 separate sales at three local pawn shops between September 6 and September 18, 2026. Those transactions involved 31 new tools. Expanding the review to the beginning of June revealed that 55 tools had been sold to local pawn shops.
The detective also reported that Dowling does not have a job.
Investigators provided Lowe’s and Home Depot loss-prevention officers with a list of the tools and the dates they were pawned. The officers are reviewing surveillance footage from those dates.
Surveillance video from September 6 reportedly shows Dowling entering the Lowe’s on NW 13th Street and selecting two flashlights valued at $129 each, a $129 task light and a $219 job-site radio. He allegedly left the store without paying. About 20 minutes later, all four items were sold at a pawn shop.
On September 14, video reportedly captured Dowling entering the same Lowe’s, taking a $219 job-site radio and leaving without paying. The radio was allegedly sold at a pawn shop approximately 20 minutes later.
The following day, September 15, surveillance reportedly showed Dowling selecting a $219 job-site radio and a $170 socket set before walking out of the store without paying. The items were allegedly sold at a pawn shop about 15 minutes later.
At the time of his arrest, Dowling reportedly told investigators that he had been stealing tools from stores and selling them to pawn shops “because he is on hard times.”
Dowling currently faces five counts of dealing in stolen property, four counts of fraudulently pawning items, four counts of petit theft and one count of theft. His criminal record includes four felony convictions, including one violent felony, and four misdemeanor convictions, three of which were violent. On September 19, he reportedly told Court Services that he lived in Interlachen, although his listed address is in Middleburg, and that he had been in Alachua County for one day. The detective, however, reported that Dowling had been selling stolen tools since June. Dowling also said he had worked for an air-conditioning company for 21 years. His bail was set at $210,000.