Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Federal charges have been brought against 27-year-old Curtis Lee Smith-Carter for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, as announced by John P. Heekin, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Smith-Carter made a court appearance in Gainesville for his arraignment, presided over by United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry. His jury trial is slated for March 25, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor in Gainesville, Florida.

If found guilty, Smith-Carter could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Initial Arrest

Smith-Carter’s arrest occurred on November 8, 2025, following an incident where a Gainesville Police Department officer observed him picking up a backpack and walking away as the officer entered the rear parking lot of Food Max, located at 1304 E. University Avenue. The officer identified this location as an area known for high drug activity and crime.

The officer reported that Smith-Carter started running toward the front of the store, and when the officer got out of his car and told Smith-Carter to stop (including warnings that a K-9 was at the scene), Smith-Carter allegedly continued running, discarded his backpack into a pile of hot ashes where a fire was burning, and threw a pistol over the chain link fence. The officer reported that Smith-Carter’s backpack contained a holster that “perfectly fit” the handgun that was found on the other side of the fence.

Post Miranda, Smith-Carter reportedly admitted to possessing a handgun, although he has 10 felony convictions; he said he found it and kept it because he doesn’t like to fight. Smith-Carter was originally arrested on state charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, tampering with evidence, and resisting an officer without violence, but those charges were dropped after the federal indictment was filed.

Smith-Carter is being held without bail until his federal trial.

The case is being jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Gainesville Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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.