Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Michael Allan Davis Sr., 30, was arrested yesterday after allegedly stealing a cellphone and charger from a man staying at a homeless encampment.
Around 9 a.m. on November 13, an Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy went to the Circle K at 4030 SW 13th Street after a man reported that he had been assaulted inside his tent behind the store. The victim told investigators that Davis entered the tent, woke him and demanded his cellphone and wallet. According to the report, Davis pulled the man’s hair, struck him repeatedly in the face, took the cellphone from his hand and attempted to seize his wallet.
The man said he escaped and ran to the convenience store to seek help and contact authorities.
The deputy documented scratches and redness on the victim’s face, noting that the injuries appeared consistent with his account.
According to the arrest report, Davis told the deputy that all of the items in his backpack and on his person belonged to him, with the exception of a cellphone and charging pack.
After being read his Miranda rights, Davis reportedly acknowledged taking the victim’s cellphone but allegedly refused to give it back. He also reportedly said the victim deserved to be robbed and disputed that the cellphone belonged to him. The phone was later found among Davis’s belongings, according to the report.
Davis, identified as homeless in the arrest report, faces a charge of robbery without a firearm. His Florida record includes five felony convictions, including two involving violence, and nine misdemeanor convictions, four of them violent. The report also lists an unspecified criminal history in Georgia and Oklahoma. Judge Julie Johnson ordered Davis held without bail while the court considers a State Attorney’s Office request to keep him jailed until trial. If that request is denied, bail will be addressed at the hearing.
Arrest stories are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges cited come from arrest reports and/or court records and represent allegations only. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
