Ft. White man arrested, second man sought in Metro PCS burglary

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Cebran Bill Kohn III, 31, of Ft. White, was arrested early this morning on drug charges after being identified as a suspect in the burglary of the Metro PCS store on North Main Street; officers are asking the public for help in identifying the second burglary suspect, pictured above.

At about 3:38 a.m. on November 18, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a burglary alarm at Metro PCS (1103 N. Main Street), where surveillance video reportedly showed at least one suspect unlawfully entering the store and stealing multiple cell phones, about three minutes before officers arrived. One of the suspects can be heard saying, “Give me another bag.” A second suspect appeared to be communicating with the suspect in the store, but that suspect was not visible on the surveillance video.

One officer saw two people riding a bicycle as he approached the area of the store, and one of them matched the description of the suspect seen on surveillance video. The officer pulled alongside the bicycle, activated his lights, and told them to stop, and the men immediately ran; one of the men, who is still unidentified, was holding a “large, full bag” that was later recovered and contained “numerous” new cell phones, still in their boxes.

Kohn was apprehended during a K-9 search in the 800 block of NW 16th Avenue.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a crack pipe, along with a backpack containing “one-hitter pipes” commonly used to smoke narcotics, burnt tin foil, and a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine; Kohn reportedly said he thought the substance was heroin.

Post Miranda, Kohn reportedly admitted to running from the officer.

Kohn has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting an officer without violence; charges related to the burglary are pending.

Kohn has some local traffic offenses but no local criminal convictions; his full criminal history will be available on Nov. 19, and his bail will be set then.

The suspect shown on camera remains at large and is shown in the image above; GPD detectives are asking for the public’s help in identifying him. Anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts of the pictured suspect is asked to contact Detective Barnes at 352-642-6121. Callers can remain anonymous by contacting Alachua County Crime Stoppers Inc at their website or at 352-372-STOP(7867) or by downloading the Crime Stoppers P3 Tips app. Crime Stoppers pays up to $1,000 if the information results in an arrest, and no name is required to receive a reward.

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.