Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Richard Eugene Floto, Jr., 31, was arrested yesterday morning after allegedly pulling on door handles at SIMED and then kicking a man’s phone out of his hand and taking the phone.

The victim told a responding Gainesville Police Department officer that he saw Floto walking up to locked doors at SIMED (4343 W. Newberry Road) just before the business opened, and then he saw Floto walk up to the vehicles of six witnesses. He said Floto’s actions seemed erratic, and he was concerned for the safety of the witnesses, so he asked Floto to leave the property.

The victim said Floto asked him which state he was from and said he had arrived in a spaceship. The victim turned to one of the witnesses, the manager of SIMED, to ask what she wanted him to do, and Floto allegedly kicked the victim’s hand, knocking his phone to the ground. Floto allegedly grabbed the phone and ran into the woods.

Floto was located and arrested, but the arrest report does not state whether the phone was found.

A witness said she saw Floto kick the victim and grab his phone before running away. The other witnesses said they saw Floto behaving erratically next to their vehicles before he was confronted by the victim, and then they saw Floto kick the victim and take his phone.

Floto, who is described as homeless on his arrest report, has been charged with robbery. He has juvenile criminal convictions between 2008 and 2010 and two adult felony convictions (both violent). He was arrested in January 2024 for stabbing his roommate and later sentenced to nine months in jail (with credit for nine months served), followed by three years of probation; adjudication of guilt was withheld. The terms of his probation require him to complete outpatient treatment at Meridian. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $50,000 and ordered a mental health evaluation.

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.