Lawn service worker arrested for stealing equipment from multiple landscaping companies and the City of Gainesville

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Andre Lejuan Sessions, 37, was arrested yesterday for allegedly stealing and pawning landscaping equipment from two companies and the City of Gainesville.

At about 8:45 a.m. on July 20, the first company’s landscaping crew was parked at the Winn Dixie Plaza (1459 NW 23rd Avenue), and the entire crew was working at a distance from the truck and trailer but left the rear door of the trailer open.

An anonymous witness reported seeing a gray Ford Focus drive up, and then a man got out and stole a leaf blower and two weed whackers from the trailer, with a total estimated value of $850. Security video also reportedly showed the incident.

The investigation of the tag on the Focus led to a car registered to Sessions’s wife, and the officer reported that Sessions previously worked for the City of Gainesville as a landscaper, but he was fired after he was caught stealing lawn equipment.

On July 21, Sessions allegedly pawned the leaf blower, providing his thumbprint and pledging that he was the sole and rightful owner of the property. The serial number matched the first victim’s records.

At 9 a.m. on July 21, the second victim’s crew was parked at the Goodwill at 1223 NW 23rd Avenue and was working at the plaza next door; again, the trailer’s rear door was left open. Video from the Goodwill reportedly shows a gray Focus driving up; a man gets out, checks the empty bed of the truck, enters the trailer, and comes out with a leaf blower, valued at $600.

On July 27, Sessions allegedly pawned the blower in Starke, providing his thumbprint and pledging that he was the sole and rightful owner of the property. The serial number matched the second victim’s records.

At about 9 a.m. on July 29, a City of Gainesville landscaper parked a City truck and trailer at City Hall and began mowing the grass. Video at City Hall captured a gray Focus driving up; a man gets out and steals an edger and two blowers from the trailer, valued at $1,250.

The same day, Sessions allegedly pawned the edger, providing his thumbprint and pledging that he was the sole and rightful owner of the property. The serial number matched the City’s records.

On August 1, Sessions was arrested in Bradford County for theft, dealing in stolen property, and providing false information in a pawn transaction.

Sessions’s address is listed as Hawthorne, but he told Court Services that he lives in Hampton and works for a lawn service company. He has been charged with three counts of dealing in stolen property, three counts of burglary of an unoccupied vehicle, three counts of providing false information in a pawn transaction, two counts of grand theft, and one count of petit theft; he is also facing a Notice to Appear for battery in Alachua County and is on pre-trial release in Bradford County on the charges listed above. He has served one state prison sentence and was released in 2013. Judge Joy Danne set bail at $285,000.

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.