Gainesville man arrested after allegedly stealing girlfriend’s car and Xbox

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ellis Louis Houston, 34, was arrested last night and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and petit theft after allegedly taking his girlfriend’s car without permission and saying she would never get her car back.

The victim reportedly told an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that Houston had taken her car without permission on Saturday after she refused to go to Tampa with him to see his children; she said she made arrangements to go on Sunday, instead, but he allegedly said he was going to Tampa without her. She said she told him he could not take her car to Tampa, but he allegedly ignored her, began packing his belongings, disconnected her Xbox, and took it. She said he walked past her, took her keys, and left in her car at a high rate of speed, leaving ruts in the yard.

The victim told the deputy that she asked him to return the car over a 24-hour period, but he refused. The deputy reported that while he was on scene with the victim, Houston called; the deputy reported that Houston said the victim was never getting her vehicle back, that she was digging her own hole, and that he was going to come back and put a bullet in her head.

Houston was located by deputies at 10 p.m. last night on NE Waldo Road, and deputies conducted a felony traffic stop at Walmart on Waldo Road.

Post Miranda, Houston reportedly denied taking the car and the Xbox, stating that he had permission to take the car and that the Xbox was his. He allegedly denied threatening to kill the victim; the deputy noted that he had heard the threat himself, but no charges were filed for the threat. The deputy also wrote that Houston said law enforcement would have to kill him before he went back to prison.

Houston has 13 local felony convictions in addition to an out-of-county criminal history and a juvenile criminal history; he has served five prison terms for a long list of crimes including grand theft and armed robbery and was most recently released on July 31, 2022. Judge Walter Green set bail at $10,000.

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.