Gainesville man arrested on warrants for burglary and battery after giving false name to officer

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Clarence Dion Banks, 37, was arrested last night on warrants for burglary and battery after allegedly giving a false name to an officer.

At about 11:07 p.m. on January 4, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a home in the 1100 block of NE 25th Terrace after learning that a wanted man might be there; the owner gave officers consent to search the home, and officers encountered Banks, who was reportedly hiding under a cover and would not show his face.

Banks eventually came out from under the cover and allegedly gave a false name and a birthdate slightly different from his true birthdate. Officers found no record of anyone with that name and birthdate, and Banks eventually provided his real name; although he was not the person originally sought by officers, he had two active warrants.

The first warrant was from an incident on September 27 in which Banks reportedly asked a woman if he could sleep in her apartment for the night, and when she said no, he allegedly pushed her down a flight of stairs. A few hours later, the victim saw Banks coming out of her apartment with a bag of groceries; when he saw the victim, he tried to run, dropping the groceries in the process. When the victim confronted him, Banks allegedly charged at her and pushed her down before punching her repeatedly. The victim was reportedly covered in blood from injuries that included a deep laceration to her knee with exposed bone.

Banks has been charged with burglary, two counts of battery with a previous battery conviction, and giving a false name to a law enforcement officer. He has eight felony convictions (three violent, one sexual) and 12 misdemeanor convictions (one violent); he has served one state prison sentence for aggravated battery by a detainee and lewd and lascivious exhibition in a detention facility and was released in February 2025. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $202,000.

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.