Homeless man arrested for possessing gun on UF campus after officers investigate suspicions he was ‘camping’ in a campus restroom

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Stephon Raymond Coney, 29, was arrested last night after officers who suspected he was living in a UF campus restroom reportedly found a pistol in his backpack, along with over a pound of marijuana and a second pistol in a hidden crawl space in the restroom.

At about 10:18 p.m. on August 18, University of Florida Police officers responded to a unisex restroom in Little Hall (1400 Stadium Road), where dispatchers monitoring security cameras had seen Coney re-entering the restroom. Officers had spoken with Coney earlier in the day in the same area, and they were concerned that Coney may have been “camping” in the restroom.

Dispatchers reportedly told the officers that Coney was wearing gray jeans and a red beanie and carrying a backpack when he entered the restroom.

The first responding officer found the restroom locked, and Coney responded to verbal announcements by saying he was “on the toilet.” Officers waited outside, and Coney eventually came out, wearing different clothing and without the backpack.

Officers checked the restroom for the backpack and did not see it, but they found a quarter on the floor and noticed an access panel to a crawl space above the toilet that was secured by a slotted latch; an officer opened the latch with the quarter.

Inside the space, officers found “a large quantity of property,” including multiple backpacks and shoes that matched the ones previously seen on security cameras.

While an officer was removing items from the space, a handgun holster fell on the floor, so officers patted down Coney to make sure he was not armed.

Officers searched the items taken from the space and found a receipt in a backpack with Coney’s name on it, indicating that the backpack belonged to Coney. A Taurus 9mm handgun was reportedly found in the same backpack, along with a “large amount” of marijuana.

Other items in the space reportedly included a Walther .40 caliber handgun, 1.3 pounds of marijuana split between two backpacks, a digital scale, a box of ammunition and assorted loose ammunition, five handgun magazines, a holster, and about 50 bills of Sierra Leone currency.

Post Miranda, Coney reportedly did not claim ownership of any of the items found in the space, despite the receipt with his name on it.

Coney, who is described as homeless in a court document and told Court Services he has been in the area for about two months, has been charged with possession of a firearm on school property, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a college, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has two misdemeanor convictions (one violent). Judge William Davis set bail at $127,000.

UFPD Police Chief Bart C. Knowles said, “The outcome of this incident is a noteworthy example of vigilance and police work. Our officers and dispatchers were proactively monitoring the area both physically and through surveillance footage after receiving reports of suspicious behavior of an individual. As a result, they were able to approach him when he returned to the area and, ultimately, able to make an arrest.

“We are grateful for those who took the time to report the behavior of this individual and encourage members of our campus community to not hesitate to call police if they see something suspicious or that seems out of place.”

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.