Homeless man on probation arrested for shoplifting, one day after release from jail following 36th conviction
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Joshuia Bernard Jenkins, 36, was arrested early this morning for allegedly stealing 18 novelty lighters from a smoke shop; he was released from the Alachua County Jail on September 30.
At about 2:50 a.m. on October 2, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to Smokeville Smoke Shop (1122 W. University Avenue), where an employee said Jenkins had entered the store and started talking to the employee; he then allegedly grabbed 18 different novelty lighters from a nearby display and started walking out.
The employee said he yelled at Jenkins to stop, but Jenkins walked out of the store with 18 lighters worth about $20 each, for a loss of $360.
Officers arrived a few minutes later and reportedly found Jenkins near the store, holding a brown bag with lighters poking out of the open bag.
Jenkins reportedly admitted to going into the store but said the lighters had been given to him at no cost; when he was asked whether he had paid for them, he said he had not.
Jenkins, who has been described as homeless in court documents since at least 2023, has been charged with felony petit theft, 3rd or subsequent offense.
Just this year, he was arrested in April and July; he was found competent to stand trial on September 23, and on September 30, he was released after entering a plea of nolo contendere to felony petit theft and property damage. The plea document indicated that the maximum sentence for the charges is six years in prison, but Judge Denise Ferrero sentenced him to three months of community control (house arrest), followed by a year of probation. Court documents do not indicate where he is supposed to be staying while on community control; the address listed on his arrest reports since 2024 is a home in the Bartram Woods subdivision, near Royal Park. In July, he wrote a letter to a judge, saying that he had stolen from Publix in an effort to help his grandmother pay her rent, and he wrote, “I will make sure… this doesn’t happen again.”
Jenkins has 11 felony convictions (two violent) and 25 misdemeanor convictions (five violent); he has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2021, and he is currently on community control. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $20,000 on the new charges; he has not yet been charged with violating probation.
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.
This POS has shoplifted from hard-working business owners who pay taxes 36 times and he stilling roming the streets of Gainesville put is POS in jail and keep them there for a couple years or take him to the mayor or one of the councilman‘s house and let him move in. This is a disgrace and you idiots keep voting these Democrats in office at sponsor this.
Thank you Alachua county for bringing this plague of homeless to us. By concentrating here in OUR city they are a public embarrassment and and expensive as well. I live on the east side and I see them walking in the street, begging, stealing. I see police and ambulances going to grace almost everytime I have occaision to go by there. What is the true cost of attracting the homeless to our city? Read the long article in the alligator about them. Although many of their conclusions were weak or wrong it did point out that we are 1 of 2 (perhaps 3) shelters in florida that do not screen the homeless. How irresponsible to inflict this curse on us. Drug addicts, sex offenders, the mentally ill (a whole other conversation) and ex prisoners. Truthfully, I do not want these people in or near my community and children.
Worthless homeless idiots just a burden on taxpayer resources like fire ems and the police. Why. Why are they welcomed in this town, what benefit are they providing? What contributions do they make? They were supposed to be dressed up as ‘ambassadors’ yet none of the ambassadors are actual homeless themselves. The city want you to think the ambassador jobs were taken by homeless people but that is not the case.
Why haven’t any Florida political candidates discussed repeat offenders? Is it because their staff are law skool grads, too?
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Super repeat offender should be off the streets permanently. All prisoners should be made to do some kind of work while they are locked up. They should not get a free ride and be allowed to just sit there, and if they want to just sit in their cell they should not be getting the same rations as those who chose to work.
The Streatery will love these guys
Can’t we make him one of those downtown ‘ambassadors’ and grant him shoplifting rights?