Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Javan Malik Smith, also known as Javan Malik Young, aged 23, was detained yesterday under allegations of taking more than $2,000 in cash from his workplace. Smith, who is on probation in Georgia and has informed local authorities that he resides there, has been apprehended three times this summer in Gainesville.

As per a sworn complaint submitted in January 2024, Smith was employed at the Circle K located at 20 NE Waldo Road between October 2023 and January 2024. The company alleged that surveillance footage showed Smith opening the cash register purportedly to make a safe drop. However, before he could deposit the money, Smith reportedly pocketed a part of it. It is claimed that throughout his tenure, he embezzled $2,125.19 from the store.

In March 2024, Smith received a three-year probation sentence in Georgia for robbery. On June 18, 2025, he was apprehended on I-75 in Alachua County for possessing under 20 grams of marijuana and driving without a proper license. He was released on a $10,000 bail, with the marijuana charge subsequently dropped. During his initial court appearance, it was noted that there was a pending complaint against him regarding the Circle K theft, but he wasn’t charged for it at that time.

Then, on July 10, 2025, Smith was again arrested by his probation officer in Alachua County for allegedly using a plastic bottle filled with yellow liquid to tamper with a urinalysis test. He secured release on a $5,000 bail. The judge also noted the outstanding complaint for grand theft, but he wasn’t booked for it yet.

On August 5, formal charges were made regarding the fraudulent urine test, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant on August 7 concerning the Circle K incidents. Smith was taken into custody on August 14, booked for grand theft, and also for not appearing at a court hearing related to driving without a license.

Smith has yet to be convicted in Florida, although he has faced a conviction in Georgia. While his arrest reports list several Gainesville addresses, he reportedly relayed to Court Services that he has only spent a day in Alachua County and actually lives in Waynesboro, Georgia. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set his bail at $25,000 for the grand theft charges and $10,000 for failing to appear for the traffic-related hearing.

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.