Staff report
ARCHER, Fla. – Leonard Mitchell McCoy Jr., 48, was arrested yesterday after authorities accused him of punching a co-worker and failing to update his address as a registered career offender.
Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies were called to Fletcher Park, in the 12000 block of SW 122nd Street, at approximately 12:20 p.m. on October 12. The alleged victim told deputies that he and McCoy had argued in the back of a work truck before McCoy struck him. The victim reportedly suffered a serious cut above his eye, leaving blood running down his face. McCoy told Court Services that he works for a landscaping company.
McCoy reportedly acknowledged arguing with the man and hitting him in the head, but claimed he acted in self-defense after the victim struck him first. Deputies said they found no visible injuries on McCoy. They also reported that neither video footage nor witness accounts supported his version of events.
Deputies arrested McCoy on a battery charge. During the arrest, he allegedly pulled away as officers attempted to handcuff him and refused repeated lawful orders to place his hands behind his back.
Authorities said McCoy continued resisting while being taken to a patrol vehicle. He allegedly pulled away from deputies, kicked against the vehicle’s side and resisted their attempts to put him inside, all while shouting at other co-workers who were at the scene.
McCoy reportedly asked deputies to take his backpack to the jail. As part of an inventory search intended to prevent contraband from entering the facility, deputies said they found several small baggies containing a white powdery residue. The substance reportedly tested positive for methamphetamine.
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The backpack also contained a substantial amount of clothing and personal hygiene items that deputies said “appeared consistent with one living a transient or homeless lifestyle.”
McCoy reportedly provided a driver’s license listing a Gainesville address. A records check indicated that he had not reported a change of address since at least August 2025, when an officer visited the listed residence and learned that McCoy had not lived there since May 2025. Despite those findings, McCoy reportedly told deputies that he lives at the Gainesville address.
McCoy, who is registered as a career offender, faces charges of felony battery with a prior battery conviction, failing to register as a career offender, resisting an officer without violence and possession of drug equipment. He has three felony convictions, including one for a violent offense, and has served two state prison sentences. His most recent release came in June 2024 after he completed a 15-year sentence for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $105,000.
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.
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