Gainesville man arrested for armed robbery in July 2024

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jesse Lavar Payne, 34, was arrested yesterday for allegedly robbing a convenience store at gunpoint in July 2024.

At about 9:02 p.m. on July 2, 2024, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a reported armed robbery at the Chevron gas station at 1510 S. Main Street.

Surveillance video from the store reportedly showed Payne and Willie Christopher Williams (who was arrested on July 3) arriving together in a black Dodge Avenger and parking in the Winn-Dixie north of the gas station. Williams went inside the store at about 8:37 p.m., and Payne can be seen walking to the back of the store, where he hid behind a bush.

Williams reportedly stayed inside the store for about 14 minutes, talking on his phone the whole time; after making a purchase, he left and then came back inside, still on his phone. At 8:53 p.m., Williams reportedly left the store and walked to the Dodge before returning to the store at 8:58 p.m., still on his phone.

At 8:59 p.m., Payne can be seen emerging from the bushes, talking on his phone, and then going into the store, brandishing a handgun. He allegedly went behind the counter and held an employee at gunpoint while the employee took the cash drawer from the register and handed it to Payne. Meanwhile, Williams reportedly ran out of the store and went back to the Dodge. Payne allegedly left the store with about $3,000 in cash and left with Williams in the Dodge.

A witness in the parking lot said the suspect with the handgun was wearing a curly wig.

The Dodge reportedly had distinct features and was found to belong to Williams; it was reportedly located at Williams’ listed address, and the cash drawer was found in a nearby dumpster. Williams reportedly refused to answer any question at the time of his arrest.

A search warrant was obtained for Williams’ cell phone, and it reportedly showed him receiving multiple calls during the robbery from someone saved in his contacts as “Jesse Crazy A**.” A subpoena to the cell phone company produced a subscriber name that was similar to Payne’s name but different by one letter.

On January 15, with Williams’ attorney present, Williams reportedly said he knew Payne from work and Payne had called him on July 2, asking for help with a flat tire. He said he met Payne in the Winn-Dixie parking lot, where Payne said the vehicle with the flat tire was down the road; Payne got in the car, and Williams started driving. Williams said that while they were driving, Payne pulled out a handgun and told him to go back and park at Winn-Dixie; he said he needed money because his power had been turned off.

Williams reportedly said that Payne put on a wig and told him to go into the store and talk to him on the phone, telling him who was inside the store and what was going on. He reportedly said that after the robbery, he drove Payne around for about 10 minutes before taking him to his apartment, where Payne took all the money out of the cash drawer and left the cash drawer in the vehicle. Williams said he drove home and threw the cash drawer in a dumpster.

Detectives learned that Payne had a history of living in the apartment where Williams said he had dropped him off, and they confirmed that Payne had previously worked with Williams. Williams also fit the description of the suspect in the surveillance video of the robbery.

Payne has been charged with armed robbery and grand theft. He has an unspecified criminal history in Mississippi and Indiana and an active non-extraditable warrant out of Indiana; he was arrested in Alachua County for domestic battery in 2023, but the charge was later dropped. He has a Notice to Appear that was issued on January 14, 2025, for driving without a valid license. Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial.

Williams remains in the Alachua County Jail, with bail set at $250,000.

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. 

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