Gainesville woman on pre-trial diversion arrested for firearm theft and selling drugs

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

ALACHUA, Fla. – Mar’kya Chanel Isom, 21, was arrested last night in Alachua and charged with grand theft of a firearm, cocaine possession with intent to sell, and driving a car without a tag.

An Alachua Police Department officer pulled Isom over on U.S. Hwy 441 at about 9:20 p.m. for not having a tag; according to the officer, Isom initially said she didn’t know the license plate was missing, that she had driven from Gainesville to Alachua, that the tag had been on the car when she left Gainesville, and that it must have been stolen in Alachua. However, when the officer asked where she had parked the vehicle in Alachua, she reportedly became evasive and reluctant to provide the information, only saying it was on “168th Street” and that she had left the vehicle with her “uncle.”

The officer learned that the vehicle was registered to Isom’s mother and asked Isom for her mother’s contact information so he could explain how to report a stolen license plate; he also mentioned that once it was reported, anyone found with the tag would be charged with a criminal offense. Isom then reportedly asked what would happen if she “just found” the license plate and it wasn’t actually stolen. When asked if she knew where the tag was, she reportedly said, “Maybe.” The officer reported that his investigation indicated that Isom had taken her mother’s vehicle to Alachua to transfer the tag to a different car.

After receiving consent from the vehicle’s owner, the officer searched the vehicle and reportedly found a 9mm pistol in the glove compartment, within reach of the driver. The gun had been reported stolen in Jacksonville in 2022. Post Miranda, Isom reportedly said she had cocaine in a container in her bra, and 5 grams of cocaine was found in a search. When asked if the cocaine was for her personal use, she reportedly said she intended to sell it.

While being transported to the jail, Isom reportedly said, “Should have pulled [the firearm] so y’all would have shot me.”

Isom was arrested in July 2021 and charged with disturbing the peace and property damage; her case was assigned to the Mental Health Court, and she entered into a Mental Health Covenant that requires taking prescribed medications, participation in counseling, abstinence from alcohol and illegal drugs, obeying the law, and not possessing firearms, among other conditions. The agreement can be revoked if she violates the conditions.

Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $4,099. Isom has a Mental Health Court review hearing scheduled for tomorrow; the arrest has been filed as a violation of the Mental Health Court conditions, with a recommendation that she be removed from the program.

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.