Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Two men, Craig Darnell Presley, 52, and Chadrick Rodell Smith Jr., 27, were arrested following an incident where a five-year-old child was found wandering alone in an apartment complex. The men allegedly admitted that they had stopped searching for the boy.

At approximately 2:00 p.m. on September 7, a Gainesville Police Department officer encountered a young child walking by himself along the complex’s roadway near a major street while responding to a call at an unspecified apartment complex. The officer asked some teenagers nearby if they recognized the child, and they said they didn’t know him but volunteered to bring him back. The teens caught up to the child as the officer parked his vehicle, and they pulled him away from the street just as a car was passing by.

The officer spoke with the child, who disclosed his name and age but was unable to identify his residence. A nearby resident recognized the child and called around to determine the child’s apartment number.

The officer arrived at the apartment, where five other children reportedly mentioned that the five-year-old often runs off, and the adults ceased searching for him after a while and returned home. According to reports, one adult even went to sleep after deciding not to continue the search.

While the officer was engaging with the children, Presley emerged, appearing unkempt and struggling to keep his pants up, yet he denied having been asleep. As the officer continued the inquiry, Smith reportedly stated that the boy had dashed outside while two other adults went grocery shopping. Smith mentioned he was unable to run but tried finding the child; when unsuccessful, he returned to the apartment. Smith reportedly shrugged off the boy’s disappearance, suggesting it wasn’t the first time this had happened.

When questioned by the officer about contacting law enforcement or anyone else for assistance, the two men reportedly said the child hadn’t been missing long enough for them to call but suggested they eventually would have done so. They also reportedly admitted not informing the other adults that the boy had left the apartment.

The other adults returned while the officer was speaking with Presley and Smith, and they reportedly said they had left the child in the care of Presley and Smith about a half hour before the officer saw the child wandering in the complex.

The officer reported that on the way to the jail, Presley said he was only watching his kids and the five-year-old boy was not his responsibility. The officer said he hadn’t been watching his kids, either, and he reportedly denied sleeping.

Presley has been charged with child neglect without great bodily harm and was also booked on two child support warrants. He has one felony conviction (violent) and two misdemeanor convictions (non-violent). Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him released on his own recognizance, once he pays the child support amounts.

Smith has been charged with child neglect without great bodily harm. He has two felony convictions (non-violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he was arrested in both June and July 2025 for trespassing at GRACE Marketplace after a warning and was sentenced on August 12 to 27 days in jail with credit for 27 days served, along with two fines of $376 each. Judge Miller-Jones set bail at $25,000 on the new charge.

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.