Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jomekia Archer, 46, has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
“I applaud the investigative work by the Gainesville Police Department, with support from our federal law enforcement partners, which facilitated our successful prosecution of this violent offender,” Heekin said. “Keeping our communities safe from the predations of violent felons, like this defendant, is a top priority for my office.”
Original arrest
Archer was arrested March 14, 2026, after police said she pointed a rifle at a group of neighbors, including children.
Gainesville Police Department officers were dispatched to a home in Lincoln Estates at about 10:29 p.m. after victims reported that Archer had become angry because someone parked a car in front of her house. According to the victims, Archer grew belligerent, yelled and cursed at them, and demanded that they move their vehicles.
The victims told investigators Archer repeatedly said, “I got some for y’all.” She then went inside her home, returned with a rifle and held it at her hip while pointing it toward the group, which included several children. Fearing for their lives, the victims began moving the children indoors, while one person called 911.
Archer briefly went back inside, but later emerged with the rifle and pointed it at the victims a second time. When one victim said she was contacting law enforcement, Archer reportedly responded, “Call who you wanna call, I don’t give a [expletive].” She then returned inside and came back out without the weapon.
Investigators later determined that the rifle had been reported stolen in Polk County, Texas. Archer had prior convictions for cocaine possession and the sale of cannabis, making her legally barred from possessing a firearm.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Gainesville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Fleming prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods is the U.S. Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative for coordinating federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and other public safety partners in the fight against violent crime. Led by U.S. attorneys’ offices across the 94 federal districts, the program is tailored to address the specific public safety challenges facing individual communities. As part of Operation Take Back America, PSN supports the department’s broader effort to improve public safety nationwide. The initiative focuses on three core principles: a rapid federal response to violent crime and offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement agencies at every level; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of serious, readily provable offenses and other measures. These efforts complement and reinforce President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, creating a comprehensive federal response to the most urgent public safety concerns in communities.
