Gainesville man charged with stealing phone at restaurant, asking victim for $200 to return it

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kerry DeCarlo Lenoir, 24, was arrested last night after allegedly taking an unattended phone from Dave & Buster’s and then trying to charge the victim $200 to return it; he was also charged with selling marijuana after deputies reportedly found 60 grams of marijuana, baggies, and a scale in his vehicle.

At about 5:15 p.m. on November 30, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to Dave & Buster’s (3023 SW 45th Street), where the victim said she had left her phone by a game and had later been contacted by someone who wanted to charge her $200 to return it.

The deputy reported that the phone had been put into “Lost Mode,” which sent a message to contact the owner at a different phone number. The victim said she received a text offering to return the phone for $100, but when she said she was at the Walmart in Butler Plaza, the fee changed to $200.

While the deputy waited with the victim for the phone to be returned, another deputy notified the first deputy that Lenoir had been stopped and arrested on an unrelated charge and the phone had been found. The first deputy called the phone number that had sent the text to the victim, and Lenoir’s phone reportedly rang.

At about 6:19 p.m., a deputy conducted a traffic stop near Home Depot (7107 NW 4th Blvd) for inoperable tag lights and a front seat passenger who was not wearing a seatbelt. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Lenoir, and he reportedly had a suspended driver’s license.

A K-9 team responded to the location of the traffic stop and provided a positive alert, giving law enforcement probable cause to search the vehicle.

A backpack was reportedly found with about 60 grams of marijuana, two packages of baggies, three baggies of marijuana that weighed about 2.3 grams each, and a digital scale.

Post Miranda, Lenoir reportedly claimed ownership of the backpack and admitted breaking the marijuana down into smaller packages but denied selling marijuana. His medical marijuana card reportedly expired on November 19, 2024, and he said he had purchased the marijuana legally.

After the first deputy read Lenoir his Miranda rights, he reportedly admitted taking the phone from Dave & Buster’s. When asked why he didn’t turn it in to staff at the restaurant, he reportedly said he didn’t think to do that. When asked why he was charging money to return the phone, he reportedly said he was “helping” the victim and just wanted to be compensated for taking time out of his day to return the phone.

Lenoir has been charged with engaging in fraud to obtain property under $20,000, using a two-way communications device to commit a felony, petit theft, selling marijuana, and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. Lenoir was previously arrested for cocaine and firearm possession in 2022, but the disposition of that case does not appear on the court records website. Judge Phillip Pena set bail at $7,000.

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.