Man on probation arrested in Hawthorne for stealing a car

Staff report

HAWTHORNE, Fla. – Jimmy Lee Floyd, 37, was arrested yesterday for allegedly stealing a car; he was most recently arrested on June 17 and was sentenced to three years of probation on July 30.

At about 2:20 p.m. on August 15, the victim reported his car as stolen after he let a woman use it to take Floyd home and she did not return after six hours.

Deputies located the car at a residence in Hawthorne, with Floyd standing nearby; Floyd reportedly said he did not know anything about the car, and deputies noted that Floyd did not live at the property but was there to perform yard maintenance.

Floyd reportedly said his identification was in the house; deputies told him not to go inside out of concern for officer safety, but Floyd allegedly fled through the residence following an ineffective taser deployment at the front door. Floyd was tased again when he tried to leave the residence through a back door and was taken into custody.

Post Miranda, Floyd reportedly admitted that he had driven the car to the property after arguing with the woman at a local gas station; he said she fled on foot and he knew where the keys were. The victim said that only the woman was authorized to drive the car. Floyd also reportedly admitted to possessing a crack pipe and said he ran so he would have time to break it and discard it.

The property owner reportedly said the car had not been at the residence before Floyd arrived to work on the yard; he also reportedly found the discarded crack pipe and gave it to a deputy.

Floyd has been charged with tampering with evidence, grand theft of a motor vehicle, resisting an officer without violence, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has nine felony convictions (four violent) and seven misdemeanor convictions (two violent); he has served five state prison sentences, with his most recent release in April 2026. He was arrested on June 17 and sentenced to three years of probation after entering a plea of nolo contendere to burglary with battery.

Judge Gloria Walker set bail at $80,000.

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.