Man on probation charged with seven felonies after allegedly hitting parked car while trying to evade officers after domestic battery incident

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Shavante Dantrell Rollins, 32, was arrested yesterday and charged with seven felonies and two misdemeanors after allegedly fleeing from an officer who was trying to apprehend him following a domestic battery incident.

At about 1:30 p.m. yesterday, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the emergency room at UF Health Shands, where the victim reportedly said Rollins had hit her in the eye with a trash can. She said Rollins had moved his belongings into her apartment while helping her move in December 2023, and she was “confused and unsure what to do” when that happened. She said Rollins became more controlling and started driving her to work and using her vehicle while she was at work; he also allegedly took her phone. She said she was not allowed to leave the house without Rollins and was afraid that he would harm her if she did.

The victim said Rollins had thrown the trash can at her around midnight on Sunday night.

Officers tracked the victim’s vehicle and located Rollins near NE 2nd Way and NE 39th Place. When an officer initiated a traffic stop, Rollins allegedly reversed at a high rate of speed and crashed into a parked vehicle, causing about $500 in damage to the victim’s vehicle. Rollins then allegedly fled on foot through multiple backyards while dropping a large amount of narcotics that had been packaged for sale.

Officers reportedly found Rollins in a backyard in the 20 block of NE 39th Place, where he allegedly refused to get on the ground and was eventually tased before being taken into custody.

A search along Rollins’ flight path reportedly produced his shoes, headphones, 2.7 grams of crack cocaine, 0.4 grams of methamphetamine, 21.5 grams of an unknown white substance, 32.8 grams of marijuana, baggies, a digital scale, and a razor blade. The arrest report notes, “The amount in conjunction with the empty baggies are indicative of that of a street level narcotics peddler.”

Rollins, a Habitual Traffic Offender, was arrested in June 2023 for fleeing and felony driving without a valid license. He was sentenced to 9 months in jail with credit for 86 days served, followed by two years of probation, and was ordered to turn himself in on December 7, 2023, to begin serving the sentence. His probation officer submitted a report on December 18, stating that Rollins had not turned himself in as agreed. On December 13, the probation officer had attempted to contact Rollins at the address he’d provided, and he wasn’t home; on January 23, a woman answered the door and said he didn’t live there.

Post Miranda, Rollins reportedly declined to answer questions.

Rollins has been charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm, false imprisonment, grand theft of a motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing with property damage, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, possession of over 20 grams of marijuana, driving without a valid license as a habitual offender, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting an officer without violence.

Rollins has 13 felony convictions (six violent) and and four misdemeanor convictions (one violent). He has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in November 2022. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $193,000 on the new charges; he is being held without bail for violating probation and will presumably begin serving the jail sentence.

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.