Man on probation arrested for stealing car, hitting two parked vehicles while fleeing deputy

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Lederrick Dontriel Coffee, 35, was arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with fleeing from law enforcement at high speed, two counts of hit and run for hitting parked vehicles, and four other misdemeanors. Later in the day, he was charged with stealing the car he had been driving when he was arrested.

At about 12:31 a.m. on September 17, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy reportedly saw a blue sedan turning right from W. University Avenue onto Tower Road without stopping at a red light. The deputy reported that he followed the vehicle and saw it accelerate away from him. He reported that the vehicle made several abrupt turns and then ran a stop sign and went into the grass at NW 4th Boulevard and W. University Avenue. The deputy reported that the sedan turned into Harbor Cove and drove through the complex at a high rate of speed, eventually crashing into two parked vehicles.

The driver, who was identified as Coffee, allegedly ran from the car and was eventually tased and detained inside an apartment. A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a baggie containing a small amount of marijuana and 1.5 pills of Gabapentin.

Coffee was charged with fleeing from law enforcement at high speed, resisting an officer without violence, possession of Gabapentin without a prescription, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, driving without a valid license, and two counts of leaving the scene of a crash with property damage.

Later in the day, the owner of the sedan told a deputy that she wanted to press charges for her car being stolen. She said that she and Coffee had been watching TV together when she fell asleep; she said Coffee took her keys and never told her he was going anywhere or taking her car, and she had not given him permission to drive her car. She said she would not have known her car was gone if the deputy had not come into her apartment while arresting Coffee.

The deputy reported that Coffee stated spontaneously that he had been going to get the victim some cookies, but he declined to answer any questions after being read his Miranda rights. The victim reportedly said Coffee was lying about getting her some cookies.

Coffee has also been charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Coffee has five felony convictions (none violent) and two misdemeanor convictions (two violent); he is on probation for domestic battery and has had an arrest warrant since February 2023 for violating multiple conditions of his probation. Judge Kristine Van Vorst ordered him held without bond for violating probation and set bail on the first set of charges at $127,500; Judge Van Vorst added bail of $25,000 for the grand theft 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.