Homeless man arrested for battering police officer and drug trafficking

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Timothy Walker, 63, was arrested early yesterday morning after allegedly running from a police officer, hitting the police officer, and possessing trafficking quantities of various drugs.

A Gainesville Police Department officer made contact with Walker while he was allegedly trespassing on posted National Guard property near GRACE Marketplace; the officer learned that Walker had an outstanding warrant for a June 2022 incident at GRACE Marketplace in which Walker allegedly hit two people, one of whom was over 65 years of age.

The officer asked Walker to walk toward his patrol car, but Walker allegedly began running away from the officer. The officer chased him on foot, then caught him and tackled him to the ground. At one point, Walker was standing over the police officer, who was on the ground, and allegedly pushed the officer’s chest to the ground repeatedly. The officer reported that he was able to trip Walker, who fell back, then disengaged with him and drew his Taser. At that point, Walker reportedly gave up and placed his hands behind his back. However, Walker allegedly continued to try to put his hands in his pockets and only stopped resisting after additional officers arrived. When Walker was arrested, he had moved onto GRACE Marketplace property, where he had previously been trespassed; Walker’s listed address is GRACE Marketplace.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced about one gram of cocaine, about 21 grams of MDPV, about six grams of methamphetamine, about 12.2 grams of marijuana, and cash “that was consistent with narcotics sales.”

Post Miranda, Walker reportedly said he didn’t know why he had run from the officer and admitted that he knew he was trespassed from GRACE.

Walker has been charged with possession of trafficking quantities of a controlled substance, possession with intent to sell of a Schedule 1 narcotic, possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest without violence, resisting arrest with violence, and trespassing. He is also facing charges of battery and aggravated battery on a person over the age of 65 from June 2022. He was arrested in April 2022 for sexual battery, but after the prosecutor told a judge that he would not be able to file charges by the 40-day deadline, Walker was released on his own recognizance, and the charges were later dropped.

Walker has no criminal convictions but has an active warrant out of Georgia; Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $161,000 on the new charges.

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. 

  • Take him to Ward’s house and let him camp there. With the people he and Poe have invited to the city, he’ll be able to have just what he wants, his own private little plantation to tend his grounds.

    • The vagrants are useless…they Will just crap up his house like they do the city and it will smell like piss.

  • GRACE Marketplace…it sounds like such a lovely place, doesn’t it??

    • It’s sounds like a farmers market but instead it’s a place for vagrants to congregate and do drugs and then crap up our city with their open containers left everywhere, and the panhandling in street medians…

  • New to the area. What does “trespassed” from a place mean? Thanks.

      • What I think Marge means, JeffK, is that you can’t be “new,” at least not very new, to our area, if he had already been trespassed from a location in our area.

  • We need a class action lawsuit on GRACE, the charter board members who founded it, the lawyers, Rodney Long and the courthouse. For continually victimizing our city and visitors, and for distracting GPD and EMS away from their intended duties.
    GPD etc are NOT supposed to be social workers! Someone file a lawsuit, find a good lawyer— if you can.

    • Government needs to be focusing on essential service….the fancy mega churches need to help their fellow man. The vagrants need to be staying at the churches.

  • “At one point, Walker was standing over the police officer, who was on the ground, and allegedly pushed the officer’s chest to the ground repeatedly. ” Looks like a perfectly good reason for bringing back, again, the K9 units. Situation could have quickly gone down hill for the GPD Officer.

    • I’m gonna buy him a case of beer and give home $20 to to flop in front of city hall all day and chat up the ladies…in fact, let’s invite everyone at Grace Marketplace for a block party in front of city hall and have a kegger…a lucky winner gets $500 cash for being the filthiest bum.

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