Staff report
ARCHER, Fla. – Jonah Levon Godbolt, 23, was arrested last night after allegedly fleeing from a deputy, crashing his vehicle in a wooded area, leaving the crash site and falsely claiming that he had been carjacked.
On the evening of November 3, an Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy was conducting proactive criminal enforcement from an elevated position near the roadway when he observed a silver sedan driving past with inoperable taillights. The deputy also smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle, which was driven by a Black man with long dreadlocks who was wearing dark shorts and a white shirt.
The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle near SW 132nd Avenue and State Road 45. Instead, the driver allegedly accelerated away at a high rate of speed and turned onto SW 134th Avenue before the deputy lost sight of the sedan.
Approximately 45 minutes later, the deputy was dispatched to a report of an armed carjacking in the same area. Godbolt, who made the 911 call, allegedly reported that three people had taken his vehicle at gunpoint while he was stopped at an intersection in Archer. He told dispatchers that the alleged carjackers had driven toward Gainesville.
The deputy noticed that Godbolt matched the description of the driver who had fled. He had long dreadlocks, was wearing dark shorts, was holding a white shirt and was barefoot. The deputy also detected the odor of marijuana. When asked whether he had been driving the silver sedan that fled the traffic stop, Godbolt reportedly denied being the driver but said the vehicle was probably his.
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The deputy observed plant burrs and leaves on Godbolt’s clothing. When questioned about them, Godbolt allegedly said he had followed his vehicle into the woods. The deputy noted that this explanation conflicted with Godbolt’s earlier account that the vehicle had been taken at an intersection and driven toward Gainesville.
Godbolt reportedly showed the deputy a photograph of his sedan, which closely resembled the silver vehicle that had fled from the traffic stop.
As the deputy spoke with Godbolt, other deputies located his sedan crashed in a wooded area near SW 134th Avenue and SW 170th Street, along the route taken by the fleeing vehicle. A shoe was found near the wrecked sedan. Deputies investigating the vehicle also collected plant burrs and leaves on their clothing, similar to those found on Godbolt, leading the deputy to believe that Godbolt had crashed the vehicle and abandoned it in the woods.
Godbolt was charged with fleeing from law enforcement with lights and sirens activated, making a false report and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage. He has five prior nonviolent felony convictions and two prior nonviolent misdemeanor convictions. He is also on probation for possession of drugs with intent to sell and reckless driving. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $60,000 on the new charges and ordered Godbolt held without bail until the alleged probation violation is resolved.
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.
