Staff Report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Fredrick Tyrone Perryman, aged 51, found himself in police custody yesterday after authorities allegedly observed him engaging in multiple drug transactions and discovered nearly 500 grams of cocaine in his vehicle.

According to a report from the Gainesville Police Department, an officer initially noticed open-air drug activities at a location on the 1600 block of NE 9th Avenue while responding to another call in the vicinity. The officer continued to monitor the area over several weeks, noting that the site remained quiet in the mornings until a brown Audi SUV arrived between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. It was at this time that individuals allegedly involved in selling illegal drugs would gather in the yard.

The officer detailed that throughout the day, various individuals would come to the property. Some would approach the vehicle, while others got out of it to meet people at the property’s edge, with these interactions reportedly lasting mere seconds.

On March 5, two officers were on surveillance duty at the location and observed numerous individuals arriving on foot, by bicycle, and in vehicles. These visitors would approach the property, disappear from view briefly, and then depart swiftly, often holding cash or what appeared to be narcotics.

Around 10 a.m., a silver Toyota SUV pulled up in front of the property. A black male emerged, leaned into the vehicle, and extended his arm, which the officer interpreted as a narcotics handover to the driver. Officers reportedly captured images of the exchange and identified the same individual as a primary suspect in local drug dealings. Shortly after, the silver SUV drove off.

A traffic stop was conducted on the silver SUV, and a K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle; a probable cause search of the SUV reportedly produced two small pieces of a white rock-like substance that tested positive for cocaine.

Several officers went to the property and reportedly saw the black male, later identified as Perryman, standing at the rear of a brown Audi SUV, speaking with another person. The trunk of the Audi was open, and Perryman reportedly had a large stack of cash in his hand.

The officer told Perryman to stop, but Perryman allegedly closed the trunk of the SUV and ran toward the residence on the property; when he got to the screened front door, he stopped and was detained. The officer reported that Perryman had $494 in small-denomination bills when he was detained.

The resident of the property reportedly provided consent to be on the property while conducting the investigation.

Post Miranda, the officer showed Perryman a photo from his interaction with the silver SUV, and Perryman reportedly said, “That’s a picture of me” without being prompted.

A K-9 alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics in the Audi, and a probable cause search reportedly produced:

• 89.4 grams of crack cocaine, individually packaged for sale
• An electronic scale with half a crack cocaine “cookie” on it
• 69.9 grams of marijuana, packaged for sale in 24 baggies
• 283.2 grams of marijuana in a large clear bag
• Empty sandwich bags
• 276.1 grams of crack cocaine “cookies”
• 199.7 grams of powder cocaine
• $1,717 in cash in various denominations in the center console
• $1,080 in cash in Perryman’s wallet

The search reportedly produced a total of 491.5 grams of cocaine and 352.2 grams of marijuana.

Perryman was later arrested on March 18.

Perryman has been charged with trafficking in cocaine, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, maintaining a vehicle for the purpose of selling drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting an officer without violence. He has two felony convictions (non-violent) and six misdemeanor convictions (non-violent) and has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2022. Judge Adam Lee set bail at $800,000.

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.