Gilchrist County man arrested in Newberry, charged with attempted homicide

Staff report

NEWBERRY, Fla. – Scotty Jacob Davidson, 48, and Jesse Wayne Richards, 37, were arrested in Newberry early yesterday morning after an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle that was connected with an attempted homicide in Gilchrist County; Richards, the driver of the vehicle, allegedly rammed a gate on private property while fleeing deputies.

On Wednesday, September 11, Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a shooting in the Bell area. The victim was driven to the Emergency Operations Center by friends, and deputies made contact with the victim, who had a gunshot wound to the leg. The victim was transported by Gilchrist County Fire/Rescue to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

During the investigation, it was discovered that Scotty Davidson, of Gilchrist County, was involved in the shooting, along with two other unidentified white males and one unidentified white female.

An arrest warrant was issued for Davidson for two counts of attempted homicide, one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

At about 4:15 a.m. on September 12, an Alachua County Sheriff’s (ASO) Deputy was stationary on W. Newberry Road, just west of NW 98th Street, when he saw a light blue Ford Escape driving in the westbound direction; the vehicle matched the description of a vehicle connected to an attempted homicide in Gilchrist County. The deputy confirmed that the tag matched the alert and followed the vehicle until more deputies arrived; the deputy initiated a traffic stop with stop sticks near 170th Street, but the vehicle reportedly fled westbound and turned north on NW 180th Street.

When the vehicle got to the end of NW 180th Street, the driver reportedly rammed a gate and continued onto private property. The vehicle was reportedly disabled by an ASO vehicle at the back of the property.

Richards was charged with property damage and attempting to elude law enforcement with lights and sirens active, and Judge Susan Miller-Jones set his bail at $350,000.

Davidson’s bail was set at $1.5 million, the amount set on his warrant.

A video of the apprehension can be seen here.

According to a media release from Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office, all parties involved in this incident have been identified, and more charges and arrests are expected. The investigation is ongoing.

The release also stated that Sheriff Bobby Schultz commended the quick response and investigation conducted by GCSO deputies and investigators and thanked Alachua County Sheriff Emery Gainey and ACSO deputies for their invaluable work in apprehending these dangerous criminals.

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.