Staff report

ALACHUA, Fla. – Last evening, 42-year-old Djeff Chery from Palm Beach was taken into custody after a used car dealership owner discovered him sitting in a car on the lot. Additionally, a nearby business owner reported damage to their machinery allegedly caused by Chery.

Around 8:51 p.m. on July 22, officers from the Alachua Police Department received a call from the manager at Highway 700 Car Dealership located at 11108 NW U.S. Hwy 441. The manager stated they observed a Black male entering a vehicle on the dealership’s property, which was closed at the time.

The officers approached the scene through the woods via NW 111th Boulevard, accompanied by a K-9 unit. Upon reaching the grassy area behind Brighton Beach Car Wash, they reportedly noticed a man, later confirmed to be Chery, heading towards the treeline. Since he fit the description provided, Chery was detained with handcuffs as a precaution. While in custody, Chery claimed he hadn’t done anything wrong and insisted he was not carrying any weapons or drugs.

An officer contacted the caller and the owner of the dealership, and both reaffirmed that the business was closed and nobody had permission to be on the property or inside the vehicles.

The owner reported that surveillance video showed Chery entering a black Dodge Charger and the brake lights illuminating, “indicating an attempt to depress the brake pedal in an effort to start the vehicle.”

The officer reported that the owner of Brighton Beach Car Wash also arrived and said he had surveillance video that showed Chery tampering with the coin dispensers and the cleaning product dispensers in front of the car wash. The owner reported that he’d had other issues recently, including finding feces near the rear dumpster, which, the officer noted, was where officers found Chery.

Post Miranda, Chery reportedly said he had recently arrived in Gainesville on a bus from Palm Beach and that before he went to the dealership, he had been searching for a bus stop at the Marathon station at the intersection of NW 43rd Street and U.S. Hwy 441.

Chery reportedly said that when he saw the car lot, he decided to look at vehicles he hoped to purchase in the future, when he had a job. He said he was interested in the black Dodge Charger, which he said he found unlocked. He said he got in the Charger “to see if he fit inside” and then got out to look for a bathroom. The officer reported that Chery could not explain why he was looking for a bathroom in the wooded area behind the business instead of using a restroom facility inside a nearby business.

Chery, who is listed as homeless on his arrest report, has been charged with burglary of an unoccupied vehicle and loitering/prowling. He has no criminal convictions. Judge Kristine Van Vorst set bail at $25,000.

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.