Staff report
HAWTHORNE, Fla. – A 37-year-old man with a recent probation sentence was arrested Thursday after deputies said he stole a vehicle in Hawthorne. Jimmy Lee Floyd, who had most recently been arrested on June 17 and sentenced to three years of probation on July 30, now faces several new charges.
According to the report, the vehicle’s owner contacted law enforcement at about 2:20 p.m. on August 15 after allowing a woman to use the car to drive Floyd home. The owner told deputies the woman never came back with the vehicle after roughly six hours.
Deputies later found the car at a Hawthorne residence, where Floyd was standing nearby. Floyd reportedly denied knowing anything about the vehicle. Investigators noted that he did not live at the property and was there to do yard maintenance.
Floyd allegedly told deputies his identification was inside the home. Because of officer safety concerns, deputies instructed him not to enter, but authorities said he ran through the residence after a taser deployment at the front door was unsuccessful. Deputies said Floyd was tased again as he attempted to exit through a back door, and he was then taken into custody.
After being read his Miranda rights, Floyd reportedly admitted he had driven the car to the property following an argument with the woman at a local gas station. He allegedly said the woman ran away on foot and that he knew where the vehicle keys were. The car’s owner told deputies that only the woman had permission to drive it. Floyd also reportedly admitted he had a crack pipe and said he fled so he would have time to break it and throw it away.
The property owner reportedly told deputies the car had not been at the residence before Floyd arrived to perform yard work. The owner also reportedly located the discarded crack pipe and turned it over to a deputy.
Floyd has been charged with tampering with evidence, grand theft of a motor vehicle, resisting an officer without violence, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Court records list nine felony convictions, including four violent felonies, and seven misdemeanor convictions, including two violent misdemeanors. He has served five state prison sentences, with his most recent release in April 2026. Floyd was arrested on June 17 and later sentenced to three years of probation after entering a nolo contendere plea to burglary with battery.
Judge Gloria Walker set bail at $80,000.
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.
