Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ma’chir Damarius Miller, 21, is facing a false imprisonment charge after authorities said he confined a Tacachale resident inside the resident’s bedroom.
The case was investigated by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit within the Florida Attorney General’s Office following a complaint from the Department of Children and Families. According to investigators, the complaint alleged that Miller unlawfully restricted the movement of a Medicaid recipient living at the Tacachale Center.
Records indicate Miller was working as a Residential Unit Specialist at Tacachale on December 20, 2025. He was placed on administrative leave the next day, December 21, and later resigned on December 23.
A Tacachale nurse reportedly told investigators she was distributing medication in the victim’s building when she heard a loud “banging” sound. She said she discovered a gait belt fastened between the victim’s bedroom doorknob and a handrail, effectively blocking the resident from leaving the room. When the nurse asked who had tied the belt in place, Miller allegedly acknowledged that he had done it and then removed it. The nurse also told investigators that Miller would not provide his name. She reported that the resident did not appear injured or visibly distressed.
During a separate interview with a Tacachale investigator, Miller reportedly admitted tying the gait belt to the door. He allegedly said he was worried the resident might disrupt the medication distribution process. Miller also stated that he stayed with the resident for about 10 minutes afterward to make sure the resident had not been hurt.
Tacachale’s training manager reportedly gave investigators documentation showing Miller had completed training on facility policies. She said confining a resident to a bedroom was not permitted under that training and was not within Miller’s authority as a staff member.
State investigators said they tried to reach Miller by phone but received no response. They later went to his listed address, where an elderly woman reportedly told them no one named Ma’chir Miller lived there and said she did not know him. Investigators photographed license plates on several vehicles parked in the driveway, and one of the vehicles was registered to Miller. When investigators returned to the same address on another date, a different woman reportedly answered the door and said Miller did live there but was not home.
A sworn complaint was filed on August 12, and a warrant for Miller’s arrest was issued the same day; he was arrested on August 18.
Miller has been charged with false imprisonment. He is on pre-trial release in Orange County for making a written threat to kill and aggravated assault with a firearm; he also has an active warrant for violating his release conditions in Orange County. Judge William Davis set bail at $100,000, but Miller’s attorney has filed a motion requesting his release on his own recognizance and stating that he is currently employed as a CNA. That hearing is scheduled for August 27.
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.
