Staff report

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – A 26-year-old man named Samuel Joseph Mantone IV was taken into custody last night due to several warrants from Oklahoma. In addition, local deputies charged him with drug and firearm offenses.

Around 10 p.m. on September 25, deputies from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office arrived at Noble on Newberry Apartments, located at 671 NW 120th Terrace in Jonesville. They were responding to a tip from a Gainesville Police Department officer who had spotted Mantone. He was wanted in Oklahoma on several charges, including the use of a firearm while committing a felony and drug trafficking.

Once detained, Mantone allegedly informed the deputies that he had a firearm in his waistband. The deputies retrieved a loaded gun from him, and during a search following the arrest, they reportedly found three small baggies with 3.9 grams of methamphetamine, four baggies with 4.6 grams of marijuana, two lighters, and a pipe associated with meth use.

Being a convicted felon, Mantone now faces charges including two counts of possessing a firearm or ammunition as a felon, having a firearm during a felony, unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon, possessing a controlled substance without a prescription, having less than 20 grams of marijuana, and possessing drug paraphernalia.

Mantone has at least one previous felony conviction and existing warrants from Oklahoma. Judge Meshon Rawls dismissed the second charge of firearm or ammunition possession by a felon, noting that ammunition within a firearm typically doesn’t warrant a separate charge. The judge set his bail at $197,000 for the remaining charges.

This article, covering arrests, is derived from law enforcement agency reports. The listed charges originate from the arrest report and court records and remain accusations. All individuals are considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.