Gainesville man sentenced to 3 years in prison on drug and ammunition charges after arrest for DUI and reckless driving
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Joseph Daniel Miranda, 33, has been sentenced to three years in prison, followed by two years of drug offender probation, after entering a plea of nolo contendere to DUI, reckless driving over 120 mph, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and two drug charges.
Miranda was originally arrested on August 16, 2025, after hitting another car on I-75 while driving under the influence at over 120 mph; after his car was searched, he was also charged with possession of distribution quantities of drugs and possession of a shotgun shell.
Click here to read our article about his arrest.
Click here for Alachua County Sheriff’s Office video of the incident.
Miranda was originally charged with DUI, DUI with property damage, reckless driving over 100 mph, reckless driving with property damage, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of cocaine, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. At the time of the arrest, he had two felony convictions (one violent) and two misdemeanor convictions (non-violent).
On January 27, he entered a plea of nolo contendere to possession of drugs with intent to sell, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, DUI with injury or property damage, and driving more than 50 mph over the speed limit.
On January 29, Judge James Colaw sentenced him to three concurrent sentences of three years in prison, followed by two years of probation, for the charges of selling drugs, possessing ammunition, and drug possession. He was sentenced to 13 days in jail with credit for 13 days served for the DUI and reckless driving charges. In addition, a restitution hearing is scheduled for March, and Miranda was ordered to have no alcohol or illegal drugs, attend DUI school, pay $1,000 fine plus court costs, perform 50 hours of community service, and undergo random drug screens and a substance abuse evaluation, followed by any recommended treatment. His vehicle was also impounded for 10 days, and an ignition interlock device will be placed on his vehicle for six months.
Three years for 8 charges. These why criminals have no fear in Alachua County. These judges are a joke.
Another So Sharp barbershop loser. Good riddance.
Seems like a very light sentence. I’m sure we’ll see him again in these pages.
A three time recidivist felon who will end up spending less than five years across his two stints.
He’s got the system beat and the odds he will see a need to change his behavior are approximately zero.
For convenience, here are clips from prior Chronicle articles:
October 30, 2022: Miranda was arrested in May 2021 for stealing tires from a business and drug possession; he agreed to drug court supervision but failed to attend required meetings and check-ins in the first 2 weeks. He was admitted to a drug treatment facility but left within 2 weeks and was arrested again. He entered into a pre-trial intervention agreement on September 30, 2021, but the agreement was revoked because he committed a new offense in March of 2022. He entered a plea of nolo contendere to the charges in April of 2022 and was sentenced to 18 months of probation with adjudication of guilt withheld.
Miranda was separately sentenced to 12 months of probation in July of 2022 for stealing a hand truck from a delivery truck in November of 2021. Adjudication of guilt was also withheld in that case.
August 17, 2025: He has two felony convictions (one violent) and two misdemeanor convictions (non-violent). In January 2023, he was sentenced to two years in state prison on charges in two cases, including aggravated assault, and he was released in July 2024.
“Joseph Daniel Miranda, 33, has been sentenced to three years in prison”
He’s a natural…..they named the “Miranda” rights after him.