Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Cedrick Leroy Powell, 21, has been booked into the Alachua County Jail in connection with the alleged robbery and beating of a 71-year-old Campus Walk resident. Investigators say Powell had been staying inside the victim’s apartment while the resident was hospitalized.
Gainesville Police Department officers were called to Campus Walk Apartments at 914 SW 8th Avenue at approximately 4:55 a.m. on February 3, 2026. They found the resident unconscious inside his apartment. After being taken to a hospital and regaining consciousness, the man told investigators he had been robbed.
According to the victim, he had spent about a week in the hospital before the incident. During his absence, four adults and a child allegedly moved into his apartment. He said he did not report them because he was concerned the child might be left outside in the cold. After leaving the hospital, the victim withdrew money from his bank account to pay rent and kept the cash in his wallet.
The victim told police he was watching television when one of the people staying in the apartment, later identified as Powell, approached him from behind and put him in a chokehold. The man allegedly demanded money, took the victim’s wallet containing roughly $500, and continued pressing him for additional cash.
The victim also reported that the attacker removed his oxygen supply, causing him to lose consciousness.
A roommate reportedly witnessed the robbery and told officers that two of the men staying in the apartment were known by the nicknames “Munchie” and “C2.”
Investigators located a 911 call made from the victim’s apartment while he was still hospitalized. Although a woman placed the call, the phone was associated with Powell’s account. Police determined the woman was Powell’s sister and learned that Powell had been released from prison in December 2025. Authorities also noted that “C2” was one of Powell’s known aliases.
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Another witness said the occupants were awakened by a disturbance and entered the living room, where they found the victim unconscious. The witness identified the alleged attacker as “Ced” and said he and the woman who made the 911 call were siblings. The witness also said “Ced” had recently been released from prison.
Campus Walk surveillance footage reportedly captured the four adults who had been staying in the victim’s apartment during his hospitalization. Investigators said Powell was positively identified in the video.
Powell faces charges of robbery and battery against a person older than 65. His criminal history was not included in the First Appearance Order filed on the court website. Walton County records show convictions dating to 2022, when he was 18, including grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, fleeing, misdemeanor drug offenses and resisting an officer without violence. He served 17 months in prison and was released in December 2025.
Powell was arrested in Walton County in March on the Alachua County warrant tied to the February case. In April, he received a 16-month sentence, with credit for 298 days already served, for battery against a detainee. After that sentence ended on October 1, he was transferred to Alachua County to address the robbery and battery allegations. Judge James Colaw wrote in the arrest warrant that prosecutors planned to seek pretrial detention, but Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $300,000.
Arrest reports are accounts provided by law enforcement agencies. The charges described in arrest reports and court records are allegations only, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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