Newberry man arrested for stalking was previously arrested after manhunt that locked down Newberry schools, but charges were dropped

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Murray Edward Sapp, 69, was arrested yesterday and charged with stalking; he was previously arrested last May after a manhunt that locked down Newberry schools, but those charges were later dropped.

At about 3:30 p.m. on March 21, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to The Crossing at Santa Fe Apartments after a call about a man threatening to commit suicide. The deputy reported that when he arrived, Sapp had left the scene, and he spoke with the victim, who said Sapp, a former boyfriend, has repeatedly told her he loves her, but she has told him they’re just friends.

About a month ago, Sapp allegedly started following the victim, calling and texting her at all hours, even after she told him to leave her alone and stop contacting her. On March 19, a deputy responded to a call from the victim after Sapp allegedly opened her car door while she was in the car and then refused to back off; the victim said Sapp refused to leave until her boss came outside.

The victim said Sapp has parked outside her apartment at all hours of the day and night, has come to her workplace, has left notes and flowers on her vehicle, and has shown up at places she shops. The victim said she has suffered extreme mental health and anxiety issues over these interactions and does not feel safe.

When Sapp showed up at the victim’s apartment yesterday, a neighbor who is familiar with Sapp told him to leave or she would call the police. Sapp allegedly told the neighbor he loved the victim, couldn’t live without her, and would commit suicide if he couldn’t have her. When the neighbor said she was calling law enforcement, Sapp reportedly said, “Good, maybe this time the law will shoot me,” and added that if he couldn’t have her, nobody could.

Deputies located Sapp as he was driving in the Jonesville area and arrested him.

Sapp has been charged with stalking (a misdemeanor). He has two felony convictions (one violent) and nine misdemeanor convictions (one violent). Court records state that he has served one state prison sentence, but the release date is listed as “unknown,” and a search for his name does not produce any results on the Florida Department of Corrections website (his most recent felony conviction was in 1978).

Sapp was arrested last May on charges of domestic battery, taking the victim’s cell phone, and resisting an officer without violence after a four-hour manhunt that led to the lockdown of two Newberry public schools. A K-9 team located Sapp in the woods, and Sapp was reportedly bitten by the K-9 after ignoring “numerous” commands to give himself up. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $95,000, but Sapp’s attorney immediately filed a motion to reduce bail, and Judge William Davis ordered him released on his own recognizance about a week later. The charges were dropped in July.

Judge Adam Lee set bail at $100,000 on the new 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.