Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Joshuia Bernard Jenkins, 35, who was participating in court-ordered treatment at Bridge House under a deferred prosecution agreement, has been arrested following accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior. He allegedly touched another patient’s feet in a sexual way and indecently exposed himself to three individuals at the facility.

Around 4:14 a.m. on May 9, a nurse at Bridge House, located at 4400 SW 13th Street, reportedly heard a patient screaming from their room. Upon entering, she observed Jenkins standing over the person who had cried out. The nurse noted that Jenkins was undressed below the waist, exposing his genitals and buttocks. The patient appeared to be distressed by the incident.

The patient explained that he was asleep when he was awakened by Jenkins, who was inappropriately interacting with his feet while engaging in masturbation. According to the patient, Jenkins has a “foot fetish,” and the patient did not want Jenkins to touch him, leading him to shout for assistance.

Another patient entered the room after hearing the commotion, and he told the responding Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that he saw Jenkins trying to conceal his buttocks with a towel. That patient said Jenkins said he accidentally touched the first patient’s foot, but he did not believe that was possible due to the room’s layout.

Jenkins reportedly admitted touching the patient’s foot but claimed it was accidental when he reached down to tidy up his shoes. He denied ever being naked and denied masturbating in the presence of anybody else. When asked why the witnesses said he had done those things, Jenkins reportedly said they did not like him and did not want him there.

The first patient reportedly did not want to press charges for battery.

Jenkins was reportedly trespassed from Bridge House.

Jenkins has been charged with committing an unnatural and lascivious act and exposing himself in a vulgar, indecent, lewd, or lascivious manner.

Jenkins has eight felony convictions (two violent) and 23 misdemeanor convictions (five violent). He has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in May 2021. He has been arrested 13 times in Alachua County since May 2021, including seven arrests in 2024. He served a six-month jail sentence in 2023 after being adjudicated guilty for hitting a ninth-grader on an RTS bus.

He was arrested in February 2024 for trespassing at the Wawa on W. University Avenue; after entering a plea of nolo contendere, he was fined $376 and released in March, but he has not paid the fine. About two weeks later, a sworn complaint was filed against him for shoplifting cough drops; the officer in that case noted that he seemed to have an intellectual or developmental disability and was unable to answer questions in complete sentences.

In early April, Jenkins was trespassed from GRACE Marketplace, and he was arrested in May for sleeping on the basketball court at GRACE; post Miranda, he said he didn’t have anywhere else to go. In early June, he was referred to Mental Health Court, but Jenkins reportedly declined, saying he was only facing a misdemeanor charge and expected to be released at his next hearing. Two days later, he entered a plea of nolo contendere to the charge and was sentenced to 30 days in jail with credit for 27 days served. He was again fined $376, and that fine has not been paid.

Three days after that court appearance, Jenkins was arrested for shoplifting; he was again referred to Mental Health Court and again declined. On August 7, he was sentenced to two months in jail with credit for 62 days served. He was fined another $376 and has not paid the fine. On that date, he was sentenced to an additional 10 days in jail for the April sworn complaint, with credit for three days served and a fine of $276 that has not been paid.

In early September, Jenkins was arrested for violating a previous trespass order from the University of Florida campus. He was released on his own recognizance on September 23 but failed to make contact with Court Services in the days following his release; a warrant for his arrest was issued, and he was arrested again on October 6 for violating a trespass order at the Wawa on W. University Avenue. Formal charges were filed in the UF trespassing case on October 22, and then the charges were dropped on December 13, when he entered a plea of nolo contendere to the Wawa trespassing case and was sentenced to 69 days in jail with credit for 60 days served. He was released and then arrested again on December 15.

On February 12, he entered into a deferred prosecution agreement that required him to participate in an outpatient mental health treatment program, but he failed to report to Court Services or enroll in the mental health treatment program as required; he also tested positive for illegal substances on February 17 and February 18. He was arrested again on March 6, and on April 4, he was sent to Bridge House for inpatient mental health treatment.

Judge Phillip Pena set bail at $100,000 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.