Homeless man arrested for stealing tools and e-bike in UF campus area

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – David Williams Jr., 35, was arrested last night on warrants for allegedly stealing an e-bike from Murphree Hall and tools from Infinity Hall.

A University of Florida Police Department officer responded on August 8 to a report that an e-bike had been stolen from Murphree Hall on the University of Florida Campus (110 Fletcher Road); cameras reportedly showed that two people were involved in the theft at about 4:02 a.m. — one who rode away on the stolen bike and one who rode away on a bike he’d ridden to the building. The two suspects rode in the direction of SW 13th Street.

On August 10, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to a report that tools were stolen from an enclosed area at Infinity Hall (978 SW 2nd Avenue) sometime between August 7 and August 10; the victim, a subcontractor who was working at Infinity Hall, reported that the missing tools were valued at almost $1,700.

Cameras at Infinity Hall reportedly showed two suspects arriving at about 4:22 a.m. on August 8 and loading up a black pull-wagon with the stolen items.

The officer also noted that the video showed one of the suspects arriving at Infinity Hall alone at about 11:37 p.m. on August 7, and his face was clearly visible on a camera. In the August 8 video, the same man returned with a second man (unidentified), and the two men sorted through the tools, selecting the items they wanted to steal.

The GPD officer identified one of the suspects in the Infinity Hall video as Williams, using his booking photo for comparison.

After learning that Williams was the suspect in the Infinity Hall case, the UFPD officer found a retail grand theft case from May in which a Target Loss Prevention Officer (LPO) had identified Williams as the suspect; the UFPD officer sent the video from Murphree Hall to the Target LPO, who reportedly identified one of the suspects as Williams. The Target LPO reportedly said Target has 10 theft cases related to Williams.

The second suspect is not identified in either report.

Williams, who is described as homeless on both arrest reports but told Court Services he has lived in Alachua County for 15 years and owns a construction company, has been charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure, grand theft, and petit theft; he was also booked on a warrant for failing to appear at a hearing on a charge of driving without a valid license. He has seven felony convictions (non-violent) and eight misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he has served one state prison sentence and was released in April 2026. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $120,150.

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.