Man arrested with drugs and illegal gun also charged with threatening officer and his family

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Keith Lamar Hopkins, 29, was arrested yesterday and charged with four felonies and five misdemeanors after allegedly threatening the officer who arrested him and his family after being arrested for possession of drugs and a gun with an altered serial number.

A Santa Fe College Police Department officer pulled Hopkins over at about 10:40 a.m. yesterday after seeing the car driving through campus with a brake light that didn’t work. Hopkins initially did not pull over but eventually stopped in the parking lot of the Walgreens at NW 39th Avenue and NW 91st Street.

The officer reported that Hopkins’ driver’s license was suspended and that he had been designated a Habitual Traffic Offender in 2018. The officer also reported that he could smell marijuana and could see marijuana “shake” in plain view in the car.

A probable cause search of the car reportedly yielded a bag in the car’s trunk with two bags of a powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine; one of the bags weighed about 20 grams. A silver handgun with a scratched-off serial number was also reportedly found in the bag.

The officer handcuffed Hopkins after searching the bag. Post Miranda, Hopkins reportedly denied owning the bag that contained the drugs and the gun but later said everything in the car was his. He also reportedly said the white powdery substance was baking soda and that he regularly carries baking soda with him. The officer also reportedly found marijuana in a search of Hopkins’ person while arresting him.

Hopkins allegedly resisted officers who tried to secure him in the patrol car with a seatbelt by pulling away, pressing into officers, undoing the seatbelt, and verbally refusing to comply. At one point, he allegedly spat through the grated divider, getting saliva on the officer’s laptop and other parts of the car’s interior.

While being transported to the jail, Hopkins allegedly threatened the officer and his family members, including saying, “They gonna find you in the bushes,” “I don’t make threats, I make promises,” and that he would find the officer when he was free. He allegedly said he hoped the officer’s female family members would become victims of sexual assaults. He also allegedly asked repeatedly for the officer’s home address, social media accounts, and other personal information.

Hopkins has been charged with fleeing, driving with a suspended license as a habitual offender, driving with a suspended license (3rd or subsequent violation), possession of cocaine, possessing an altered firearm, threatening an officer with death or serious bodily harm, threatening an officer’s family members with death or serious bodily harm, possession of marijuana, and resisting arrest.

Hopkins has one felony conviction and 10 misdemeanor convictions. Bail information is unavailable on weekends.

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.