Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Eve’yante Dananeisha Grant, 26, and Bristal Jean Zavala, 25, have been sentenced to prison for luring a woman to Zavala’s apartment, then attacking her and stealing her car and other items. They were arrested on September 1, 2023.

The victim told a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officer that she had known Zavala for a week and had only met Grant on the day of the attack. She said Zavala asked her to come to her apartment to talk, and when the victim arrived at Zavala’s apartment, Grant was there. The victim said Zavala seemed “high and out of it” and that Zavala attacked her for no reason, punching her in the face with a closed fist. The victim said Zavala also ripped her clothes, then took her phone and car keys and left with Grant. Zavala allegedly gave the car keys to Grant, and the victim said she saw Grant get in her car and drive away; her purse and wallet were in the car. Zavala reportedly left in a separate car.

The victim reportedly had visible swelling to her nose and both eyes, with contusions under her eyes; the reporting officer described her injuries as a “significant amount of damage to her face.”

Grant had been on probation for child neglect at the time of the arrest, and she was unable to post a bond. She was charged with violation of probation, grand theft of a vehicle, and possession of a controlled substance, and she entered a plea of nolo contendere to all three charges. Her plea document states that the maximum sentence for the charges is 15 years. Her probation was revoked, and she was sentenced to 21 months in state prison in each case, running concurrently, with credit for 67 days served.

Zavala was charged with grand theft of a vehicle, robbery, and felony battery; she entered a plea of nolo contendere to robbery and felony battery, and the grand theft charge was dropped. Her plea document states that the maximum sentence for the charges is 25 years. She was sentenced to 18 months in state prison, with credit for 141 days served, followed by 3 years of drug offender probation.