18-year-old on probation charged as an adult with offenses allegedly committed as a juvenile
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Keshawn Tyrone Ferguson, who turned 18 on September 22, has been charged as an adult with burglary of a vehicle, grand theft of a vehicle, and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent, all allegedly committed when he was 17 years old.
On August 4, a Gainesville Police Department officer was investigating a report of a stolen Honda Civic, and a license plate reader showed that the vehicle had been seen traveling southbound on SW 23rd Drive from SW Archer Road at about 12:58 p.m. and then was seen traveling eastbound on Archer Road at about 1:08 p.m. Based on the directions of travel and the time lapse, the officer went to Wawa at 2373 SW Archer Road and asked to view surveillance video.
The surveillance video reportedly showed the Civic arriving at a fuel pump at about 1 p.m., and two black males who appeared to be juveniles got out of the car. The driver was later identified as 15-year-old Deron Cortez Williams, and the passenger was identified as Ferguson, who was 17 at the time.
At about 1:03 p.m., the two juveniles entered the Wawa store and gave the clerk about $4 in change to buy gas.
A short time later, the same officer responded to an unrelated call in the area of Woodland Park Apartments and saw the same two juveniles; she requested backup units and watched the juveniles until they arrived. Both juveniles were detained without incident.
Post Miranda, Ferguson reportedly said they had found the Civic unlocked and had entered it, but he said he couldn’t remember where.
Post Miranda, Williams reportedly said he and Ferguson had been at Canopy Apartments (4400 SW 20th Avenue) and needed transportation back to their residence; when they found a vehicle with the keys inside, they entered it and drove it to the 2200 block of E. University Avenue, where they left the Civic and rode a bus to Woodland Park Apartments. He said they had found the keys in the Civic’s cupholder.
Williams reportedly directed officers to an area near SE 22nd Street and SE 2nd Avenue, where the Civic was recovered.
A search of Ferguson’s backpack reportedly produced a Taurus G2c handgun that had been reported stolen from a vehicle on July 26, 2026. Ferguson reportedly said he had found it in the area of Woodland Park Apartments.
Williams’ GPS monitor reportedly showed that on July 31, he was at the exact location of the residence where the Taurus handgun had been stolen. His GPS monitor also reportedly showed that he had been at the Wawa on Archer Road between about 1 p.m. and 1:07 p.m. on August 4, consistent with the surveillance video from the gas station.
In a second interview, Ferguson reportedly admitted to breaking into a vehicle and finding the Taurus handgun in the glove compartment.
Ferguson has been charged with possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent under the age of 24, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and burglary of an unoccupied vehicle. He is on juvenile probation, and Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $85,000.
Additional details of Williams’ juvenile case are not public.
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.