Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 32-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after police say he stole a Pavlov Media work van in Gainesville and removed roughly $40,000 worth of tools from inside.
According to Gainesville Police, the incident began around 2:10 p.m. on August 4 in the 1000 block of SW 16th Avenue. A Pavlov Media employee had stepped away from the customized work van for several minutes while it was still running. When he returned, the vehicle, valued at approximately $80,000, had disappeared.
Investigators said a GPS tracker in the van led officers to an area near SE Hawthorne Road and 14th Street. As Gainesville Police Department units searched the neighborhood, a witness reported seeing a white male wearing a teal shirt drive up in the van and unload tools, stacking them along the side of the Food Max at 1304 E. University Ave.
A detective later located Joseph Benedict Croughin walking in the 1700 block of NE 6th Place. Police said the witness identified Croughin as the person seen driving the van and removing the tools.
Officers recovered all of the stolen tools in the area around the Food Max and nearby Dandy Mart. They also found another victim’s backpack, which contained headphones, personal car keys, and $3 in cash. Police said all of that victim’s property was recovered except for the cash.
Surveillance footage from the Food Max and Dandy Mart reportedly showed Croughin carrying the stolen tools before abandoning them as officers arrived in the area.
After his arrest, Croughin was taken to GPD Headquarters, where police said he kicked the door of an interview room. He was moved to another room, where he allegedly became agitated and tried to kick a chair toward an officer. The officer closed the door in time to stop the chair, but Croughin then allegedly picked it up and repeatedly threw it at the door. Police said he later slammed a chair leg into the door’s window, shattering it and causing an estimated $1,000 in damage.
Croughin has been charged with grand theft over $20,000, grand theft of a motor vehicle, felony property damage, and petit theft. He was reportedly intoxicated at the time of his Court Services interview, so he did not provide information about how long he has been in Gainesville. He has four felony convictions (non-violent) and 13 misdemeanor convictions (three violent); he is on probation in Jefferson County and has a warrant for violating probation. He served six months in jail in Alachua County in 2021 for passing fraudulent checks; he also has an unspecified criminal history in Alabama, New Jersey, Montana, and Pennsylvania between 2012 and 2025.
Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $130,000.
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.
