Lake City man arrested for 2019 spree of business burglaries in Gainesville
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Houston Allen Boatright, 52, was arrested on December 8 and charged in nine business burglary cases from 2019.
On March 22, 2019, Boatright allegedly smashed the front glass of Deshi Bazaar at 4110 SW 34th Street and stole the cash register.
On that same date, he allegedly forced open the front door of an insurance office on Archer Road and rummaged through items inside the business, but no items were reported stolen. He also allegedly smashed a window at Thornebrooke Chocolates and stole the cash register on the same night.
On March 24, Boatright allegedly smashed the front glass of RU Game? at 5186 SW 34th Street and stole the cash register.
On April 20, he allegedly threw a paver through the glass door of the BP Gas Station at 15980 NW U.S. Hwy 441 in Alachua and stole the cash register. He also allegedly broke other items inside the store for total damages close to $6,000.
On April 26, he allegedly smashed the front glass of Batteries Plus at 3318 SW 35th Blvd and stole the cash register drawer and cash register drawer insert. Video surveillance was available from that incident.
On May 6, he allegedly tried to pry open the front door of Beyouteeful Obsession at 4001 W. Newberry Road but was unsuccessful; while the owner was talking to law enforcement, a dental office next door was reporting that someone had smashed a side glass window and stolen multiple items valued at around $1,700.
On May 10, he allegedly entered Stage 7 Karaoke at 4110 SW 34th Street through a rear door and stole the cash register.
Boatright was captured by another agency and reportedly confessed to many of the Gainesville burglaries; he is also a suspect in numerous business burglaries throughout north Florida and south Georgia. He served a three-year state prison term on Columbia County burglary charges from the same time period and was released on May 21, 2022.
Boatright is being held on a combined bond of $750,000.
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.Â
Gosh, he must have been encouraged to do those things in Wokeville for some reason. Wonder why?
what does that even mean jeff? He’s a junkie that needed money.
JeffK’s schtick is to blame all repeat offenses on attorneys who get defendants reduced sentences. He claims it’s a deliberate ruse by defense attorneys to let criminals off the hook so they can be charged and represented again in order for the attorneys to make enough money to pay off law school debt. It’s the same one-trick-pony style of argument that a few other outspoken commenters here use when blaming all crime on drugs, homelessness, mental illness, political party affiliation, skin color, and so on. It’s his plainte du jour.
I would assume he decided to rob businesses here because Gainesville/Alachua County is notoriously soft on crime, and I think it’s safe to assume that is what Jeff meant in this instance. You seem a little obtuse for someone presuming to analyze everyone else here.
I was noting the reason he believes they’re soft on crime, not the rudimentary and obvious fact that he thinks they’re soft on crime. Catch up.
You weren’t able to see the forest for the trees, which seems to be the norm for you. It’s not really debatable that this area is softer on crime compared to other areas around it. But you can get lost in the weeds as to exactly why if you want to. I agree the comments about student loans sound ridiculous, but that doesn’t change the overall picture. I think a lot of people here are just lazy and don’t do their jobs.
Why do you feel the need to keep arguing and slinging insults? I already said he believes the system is intentionally “soft on crime.” I just used the phrase “let criminals off the hook,” which is the same thing. Then I explained _why_ he thinks that way, since someone asked what he meant, and since he’s posted multiple times that he believes it’s to pay off “law $k00l loan$.” The forest was obvious; I just identified the specific tree he keeps banging his head against, since that was at the heart of the question. No need to continue your schtick of re-explaining something that’s already been explained. Write your own comment to “David Letterman,” if you think you have something of value to add.
This area is pretty soft on crime much of the time compared to the surrounding counties and jurisdictions. That is his opinion but it is also reality based on the numbers and statistics. It’s easily verifiable. All of your valiant attempts at verbal smoke and mirrors don’t change that.
I never contested your “soft on crime” claim or JeffK’s “law $k00l loan$” claim. I simply answered the question of what JeffK was talking about — not with presumptions, but by quoting him. If you think that’s “smoke and mirrors,” I hope you can find something to clear your head. There’s a reason people responded positively to my answer while nobody has responded positively to your repetition. Think about that.
Peace!