Man on drug offender probation arrested for vehicle theft

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Eean Ryshard Brown, Jr., 24, was arrested yesterday and charged with grand theft of a vehicle; he is currently on drug offender probation that would have withheld adjudication of guilt on a charge of carrying a concealed firearm without a permit if he had successfully completed the probation.

A Gainesville Police Department officer responded to a call about a car stolen yesterday from Pavilion at 62nd; the car was found parked at Sweetwater Square Apartments. The officer reviewed security camera footage and reportedly saw Brown driving the vehicle on NE 15th Street, turning into Sweetwater Square, and backing it into a parking spot at 12:36 p.m. The officer reported that Brown was seen leaving the car and walking around a nearby building, then out of sight of the cameras.

Later in the afternoon, Brown reportedly brought the keys to an officer who was at Sweetwater Square, saying he was delivering the keys for the car’s owner. The officer recognized Brown as the person in the security video and took him into custody.

The officer wrote that Brown’s driver’s license was canceled in November of 2021, so Brown was cited for driving without a valid license and also charged with violating probation.

Brown has three felony convictions. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $12,000 in the grand theft case and ordered Brown held without bond on the probation violation.

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.