Man who stole $1,400 on his first day on the job sentenced to 15 months in prison
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Robert Lavon Cray, 43, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after entering a plea of nolo contendere to grand theft. Cray was charged with stealing $1,400 from Keke’s Breakfast Cafe on his first day on the job.
In January 2024, an employee of the restaurant told a Gainesville Police Department Officer that Cray was left unattended inside the office, where the safe is located, on his first day of work. She said she learned at the end of her shift that the safe was short $1,400. She said she checked the business cameras Tuesday morning and saw Cray taking money out of the safe. She said she confronted him when he showed up for work on Tuesday and that he left when she said she was calling the police.
An officer found Cray a short distance away. Post Miranda, Cray reportedly said he saw that the safe door was open and told the employee it was open because he did not want to be accused of taking money. He denied taking any money from the safe.
Cray entered a plea of nolo contendere to a charge of grand theft on April 16, and yesterday Judge David Kreider sentenced him to 15 months in prison, with credit for 17 days served.
Prior to the arrest, Cray had 11 felony convictions (two violent) and eight misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He previously served five state prison sentences for convictions out of Alachua, Columbia, and Suwannee Counties, with his most recent release in June 2022.Â
WTF didn’t Keyes do a background check?
Oh wait…. 🤡👹💩👿👺ACLU, SPLC, Dems
So this guy gets 15 months in prison for stealing money from a safe yet a woman gets violent with a 3 year old at a daycare and gets 30 days in prison?
Not that Cray should get a pass, of course. But how is stealing money worse than battering a small child?
Our justice system does NOT protect victims.
One gets less of a sentence if you hit somebody and leave the scene of an accident. And yes why wasn’t a background check done it’s very easy to do.
This is what happens when you hire convicted felons (19 total convictions) and served 5 prison sentences. He never wanted to work and took the easy convict way. Less then 2 years out of prison and back again.
He’s institutionalized. They need to lock him up and keep him there. Some people like prison. I hated it. One time was enough for me. I’m a good boy now. But people like him just get worse and worse.
No one is commenting on the fact that he, on his first day at work, was left unattended, in the office, with an open safe. Ya think there was some irresistible temptation there, maybe? Just sayin’.
The next job interview will be short.
Doesn’t Alachua county have a ‘no background check’ law which only allows a BC after the hire?
Thanks to Former GNV Mayor and CC, no background check prior to job offer statute applies!
Of course, Keke’s could have conducted a background check after a firm job offer.
Don’t know if they did, or were they just happy to have someone filling a shift gap in these days when people are paid more to stay home and watch TV!
I have not ever read the entire article, and I can tell you now, 15 months will not help correct this mans attitude, only killing someone that he hates or a SOCIETY that he hates, and feels like it has persecuted him, will satisfy the hate I can see in his face.
So, why was he hired with 11 felonies?
He looks like he drinks gravy first thing in the morning.