Jail inmate arrested for damaging phones, claimed other inmates wouldn’t let him use the free phones
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Michael Keller, 36, an inmate at the Alachua County Jail, has been charged with property damage over $1,000 after allegedly damaging two phones that are used by inmates; Keller said he was frustrated because the other inmates would not allow him to use the phones, although phone calls are free at the jail.
Jail staff reported to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that Keller forcefully pulled on the handset of one phone, broke the handset off, and then tried to pull the handset off a second phone but failed. Both phones were reportedly inoperable after the incident.
The deputy reported that surveillance video “skipped around” but showed Keller trying to pull handsets off the phones.
Keller reportedly told the deputy that although there are free phone calls at the jail, access to the phones is controlled “by either gang or race,” and some inmates are not allowed to use the phones. Keller reportedly used a slang term to indicate that white inmates are not allowed to use the phones. He reportedly said that he was frustrated and was going to prison, anyway, so he didn’t mind breaking the phones so nobody else could use them.
Post Miranda, Keller reportedly said he had intended to break the phones but had only succeeded in pulling one handset off. When he was informed that both phones were inoperable, he reportedly said, “Yes!” and celebrated that both phones were broken.
Keller has served two previous state prison sentences out of Orange County and is currently serving a two-year sentence out of Levy County for domestic battery by strangulation. He was transferred to the Alachua County Jail by a court order. Although he will not be eligible to post bail until his prison sentence is complete in 2025, bail has been set at $10,000 on the new charge.
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.
another quality inmate
Hey, I work, pay taxes and am a responsible citizen: Do I get a free phone?
To be fair, the reason the county wanted phone calls to be free to inmates is because the alternative (which used to be in place) was that their family members or friends had to accept the charges for calls coming from jail.
I do understand that their family members and friends are likely already suffering enough and don’t need additional burden put on them.
However the sheriff warned the county that making calls free was going to create all kinds of problems within jail, including that phone usage would turn into another type of currency within the jail and would therefore be abused.
Gainey has since reported to the county commission regarding all the issues the “free” calls have created within the jail. Multiple fights, etc, etc.
But the county commissioners, in their infinite wisdom, just buried their heads in the sand. Again. And the strife continues.
Inmates (or their families) could also purchase minutes for phone calls – collect calls weren’t the only alternative. Both options were expensive, but if the County can fully subsidize calls, they could also partially subsidize calls instead of creating the warlord system that is now in place.
The Warlord County Commisioners created and forced this plan. Now their is no difference betweeen them and the inmates. The violence they have created must make them warm and fuzzy.
If we didn’t have to pay for the damages I’d be happy as well. Unfortunately, like everything else, our tax dollars will have to fund more of the County’s ill-conceived plans.
Sheriff Gainey and other warned the commission that free phone would only cause more negative issues than positive solutions. Now there is a race battle over the phones. Commissioners need to stay in their lane of dysfunctional ideas and leave law enforcement and jailing to the professionals.
Another great idea by our intelligent County Commissioners. Isn’t being in jail supposed to be miserable?? What’s next, tablets with internet access?
If I were the Sheriff I’d tell them (the Commission) if they want free calls for inmates then they can find someone else to run the jail.
they already have tablets with working internet
Lol, there are zero tablets, with or without tablets, in the Alachua County Jail.
they get sent to prison they’ll have tablets with working internet. lolz not saying our jail has them but surrounding jails and prisons do, we are the only jail with free calls
🤣 where do you get your info from…the prison has tablets not the jail
I bet if all the White inmates grouped up and started controlling who could use the phones, there’d be an outcry and fast crackdown on it. It’s time to move past stupid left right distinctions and act on our own interests. Leaders of both parties and talking heads on both sides are gatekeepers to stop that from happening. When Whites work together, we are unstoppable.
ACSO DOJ really screwed up with the “free phone calls” situation. “Surveillance Videos Skipped Around” but recorded him doing it.
And well, it’s jail. Of course gangstas are gonna control the phones. They couldn’t control themselves on the street, why would anyone expect anything less inside the jail? 😝
Convicts gonna run the phones if the correctional officers let them.
WTF was he transferred here, isn’t our Jail filled to capacity? 👹🤡👿💩👺ACLUSPLCDNC
Cornell, Prizzia, and Alford pushed free phone calls back in October and December 23. Chucky Cheese was absent I guess, but either way, their decision to order the Sheriff to get the free phone calls going without call limits is at the core of this criminal’s current problem!
Granted, he is a criminal, and rightly belongs in confinement, but his reasoning for taking down two phones has to hit the idiot AC BOCC between the eyes, but they are too dense to comprehend!
Based on the 12 Dec 23 Alachua Chronicle article (https://alachuachronicle.com/alachua-county-commission-instructs-sheriff-to-provide-unlimited-free-phone-calls-to-jail-inmates-sheriff-says-its-a-math-issue/):
Cornell wanted to play Clint Eastwood at the 12 December 23 meeting:
From the Alachua Chronicle article 12 Dec 23:
” Cornell: “I want free, unlimited phone calls.”
Cornell said, “I think that’s the cause of the problem, Sheriff… When you create scarcity, you create value, and when someone doesn’t use that, they sell that value. I believe the direction of this board was unlimited free phone calls… I want free, unlimited phone calls.”
Prizzia was right behind Cornell, pouring out support for the “entrepreneur” gangs controlling the phones in the jail”
Prizzia: “Let’s figure out how to add more phones”
Prizzia said that the County’s Facilities Manager might be able to find a way to convert a space at the jail into a phone room to create more space for phones: “If there’s not enough phones for a decent amount of inmates to be on the phone at the same time, you create scarcity, and then somebody is going to control that asset… Let’s figure out how to add more phones.”
I guess the question is: Are Cornell and Prizzia getting a kickback from the Jailhouse Gangs controlling the phones? Notice how Cornell and Prizzia used the same logic to direct the Sheriff: “Scarcity creates value.”
Why can’t the AC BOCC just stay in their lane and provide taxpayer essentials that they are collecting the criminally high property taxes for? Safety of the taxpayer first!
The problem is not just that the phones are ‘free’ but they also got rid of the time limits for calls and that’s what causing the most problems. There used to be a 15 minute limit per call, now one person can tie up a phone for hours.
Maybe it takes a while for them to “get it up” on the chat lines.
Next thing you know, commissioners will be demanding visual chat lines to help those who lack imagination.
Sounds like the surveillance cameras aren’t working right. Better get them fixed.
Hey Cornell, how about you go to jail and walk into a pod a try and use a phone. After the ambulance hauls you away you will understand. Prizza and Alford can go to female’s pod. But go in as inmates. So, you can see how inmates really are and what Correction Officers have to go through daily. What is solution “If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime”. Jail is not a Day Care Facility. I even understand that not everyone arrested is guilty. If fingers need to be pointed it is the “Public Pretender’s Office”.
Why don’t yall stop blaming the commissioner for trying to help the family members that aren’t incarcerated and blame the frikken gangs for feeling like they can control everything and blaming the jail guards for allowing them to control everything, if they were keeping a better watch on their inmates they wouldn’t have been able to control the phones. If the gangs are doing that, imagine what else they are doing under the “watchful” eye of the officers…come on guys place the blame where it needs to be inside the jail, the officers and the gangs, I’m not saying what he did was right but I can understand how frustrating it can be not being able to use the phone and the sorry behind officers sitting on their butt’s gossiping and eating snacks and not paying attention to what’s taking place in their pods been there years ago done that
The only way institutions work are with strict rules and regulations. This will ensure safety for both Officers and inmates. Let the Sheriff run it, not unqualified commissioners who only care about votes. More Correction Officers are needed and better pay to get the best qualified. This should be the focus. Free (Taxpayer funded) phone calls for everyone, what did you think was going to happen. Officers have other duties they must perform when supervising a group of inmates. Let’s go with more Court First Appearances, maybe twice a day to get people out faster. Get Bondsman Rodney Long (former commissioner) to lower fees or how about bonding them out for free. He’s made a living off of poor people in desperate times trying to get out of jail. I wonder how many grandmothers used their homes or vehicles as collateral and lose home and vehicles.
The reality is that he was probably not getting to use the phone.
I’m praying for all inmates state of mind and safety because it’s needed. The time this inmate spent damaging the phones, HE COULD HAVE BEEN MAKING HUS NEEDED PHONE CALLS OUT TO HIS FAMILY.
I applaud this guy’s resolution. Judging from the comments it appears at least one other citizen has experienced what it is like in the Alachua County jail – and yes, I have too – and sometimes one has to simply say WTF. Of course, Keller put himself in this situation in the first place; nevertheless, based on the gist of the article he was pushed to his breaking point by a bunch of (*^&%$#) inmates who earned much worse than broken telephones (not to mention the absolutely lazy, blatantly oblivious Corrections Officers). Yes, this time it was phones; Regardless, whether phones, chow line, showers, visitation, rec. yard, shaving, bunks, whatever…anyone who attempts to mind their own business or doesn’t BELONG to the “class” gets crapped on (putting it mildly), thus, either one snaps or gets snapped. Realistically, if it were me, those phones would not have stood a chance.
a friend of mine was on the women’s side barely any phone problems but on the other side u have gangs
From the Sheriff on down they ALL know that the wannna-be-Gang members are taking ownership of those phones and they aint doing shyt about it. Personally, I am glad he destroyed the phones.
That’s EXACTLY right (except the wanna-be part – in there they are), and the same point I was making as well. I had the unfortunate pleasure of visiting the Alachua County Jail some time ago; during my “visit”, there was no A/C, nor fresh running water. We were “afforded” water in Igloo coolers courtesy of Sadie Darnell. Anyhow, those of us “less in numbers” pretty much went without water unless it was recreation time when those “greater in numbers” were outside participating in various sports. Even back then when phones were not free, it was a PIA to get to use them. The Corrections Officers turned a blind eye to everything except an all-out fistfight, a razor blade, or some kind of fashioned shank. Nothing has changed, and it NEVER will – not in Alachua County at least.