17-year-old on probation for murder arrested for gun possession
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jerquay Lavon Freeman, 17, was arrested early yesterday morning and charged with possession of a firearm by a delinquent under 24 years of age. Freeman is on probation after serving a two-year state prison sentence on a second-degree murder charge.
Freeman was a passenger in the back seat of a car that pulled into a City park on SW 20th Avenue after midnight. A Gainesville Police Department officer made contact with the occupants of the car because they were in a City park while it was closed. After Freeman provided his name and date of birth, the officer was informed that he was on probation for second-degree murder.
Another officer on scene told the first officer that he saw Freeman placing something under his seat, so the officers asked the occupants to get out of the car. The first officer stayed on the driver’s side of the vehicle, shining his flashlight at Freeman’s feet. As Freeman got out of the car, the officer reportedly saw the handle of a pistol. Freeman was placed in handcuffs, and the pistol was removed from the vehicle and found to have a round in the chamber.
Freeman was charged as an adult with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for threatening to shoot someone in July of 2020, when he was 15. He was also charged as an adult with two counts of attempted murder in the first degree and one count of possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent for shooting two people on September 26, 2020. He was later charged as an adult for a vehicle burglary and theft that took place on September 21, 2020. On July 27, 2021, he entered pleas of nolo contendere to the aggravated assault charge in the first case, a lesser included charge of attempted second-degree murder in the second case, and the burglary and theft charges.
He was sentenced to 46 days (time served) for the burglary and theft charges by Judge Phillip Pena and sentenced as a youthful offender to two years of prison, followed by four years of probation, by Judge David Kreider in the other two cases (served concurrently). The State also agreed to dismiss all pending burglary investigations as a condition of the plea agreement. He was ordered to pay restitution to four victims, presumably victims of the burglaries.
Freeman was released from state prison on August 12, 2022. In addition to the felony gun possession charge, he has been charged with violation of probation and is being held without bond on that charge. The bond for the gun possession charge has been set at $500,000.
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.
Yep, those laws in place to prevent people like this from getting firearms were obeyed once more. This guy couldn’t even stay out of a city park after it was closed. Criminals don’t care about laws.
17 years old. A shame…maybe Poe or Ward will become a foster parent and let him move in so they can teach him something about character or morality. That will never happen, they don’t have any.
All of you knuckleheads, keep believing. Those who are lawfully able, protect yourselves.
Yeah, Poe’s wife and daughters could entertain the poor fellow who is just down on his luck and needs help. The “World according to Poe” from the Dias (with his history degree) has proclaimed only a very small sliver of criminals are actually bad people. The rest have some sociological reason, they’ve been mistreated or wronged, and are just in need of a helping hand. Well, here you go Po! Show us what you can do. With a little live in your heart of course.
Stay WOKE y’all
I would happily donate 2 years of my life in exchange for the opportunity to put this animal out of his misery.
Animal ? Yo momma a animal
How the hell do u get out of prison and less than a month go back in , lmao here’s to a wasted life…he just wants to go bad to bubba
Incarceration works.
Capital punishment works better. But incarceration is far superior to doing nothing at all.
How is he out only after two years this makes no sense at all
Because the system and the softies are afraid if they do to much to young black now adays there will be bad press…
Yeah, but I’m SURE he paid the restitution…😄😫
Yep…..here we go again. I’m sure more gun laws designed to disarm law abiding citizens will prevent these repeat violent offenders from hurting us. More 2 year sentences for 2nd degree murder makes so much sense.
Stfu if yu don’t know what really happened
U STFU
Tell yo momma to stfu
Shush. Go.go. prison for.life.to.him. or.even better.death penalty so we don’t have to maintain him with our taxes
Now a days no one cares what happens, he’s a young black man, who had a short sentence, got out, and going back in, should’ve gave him a longer time inside the 1st time around,save us tax payers a lot of money
2 years for murder?
It’s because he’s black, face it, law makers are afraid of the back kash if they give anyone of color a lot of time, a white girl 16 yrs old got 6 yrs in prison(juvenile Y.O.A.) for aggravating assault
People should keep the ignorant comments to themselves! If the situation doesn’t pertain to you or your loved ones,then STFU!
Did the world leaders die and put you in charge? Why not Keep your trap shut? A criminal on the street with a gun is a potential danger to all of us, so yes, it pertains to everyone who has commented here and is part of this community. Why do you think they have these forums to comment on?
It does pertain to all of us. He.is a danger to society.
I know people with just marijuana charges 5-10 years. This wright here proves these young thugs can do whatever they want and get no trouble. No wonder all the kids are shooting up places. Cops arrest. Judges let them free. No Sence in arresting anymore
The judge probably figured he would mess up his probation. Big surprise.
I feel so embarrassed for his mother.
Hey Sister, so are you claiming that he wasn’t in a park after hours with a gun? Yah, right….sure the cops framed him! And planted evidence! Maybe he should go to school or get an f-ing job so his time will be occupied with something worthwhile other than being a big LOSER THUG. Pitiful excuse for a human.
Glad he’s off the streets before someone else becomes his victim.
He needs to go back to prison for 15-25 year’s. Setting him free will the end result will be the death of a innocent person. He has know respect for himself or life. Send him back to prison ASAP. No more chance’s.
Thank goodness law enforcement got him off the streets with that gun before he hurt someone else. Might have saved his own life.
Yet another case of a criminal that can not legally have a gun, having one in his possession and on the street having already shot 2 people. If we pass more and stricter laws, will he and other criminals obey them? NO! Only law abiding victims to be like us will obey the law and be easy targets for these thugs. Get it through you thick skull: No amount of additional guns laws will be obeyed by criminals! But YOU will be even more likely to be raped, robbed or murdered because they assumed you aren’t armed. Good luck suckers!