North Carolina “sovereign citizen” arrested for resisting officer during traffic stop for homemade tag on his vehicle

Staff report

NEWBERRY, Fla. – Alexander Justin McAfee, 33, of Leland, NC, was arrested last night after he was pulled over for having a homemade tag and allegedly refused to identify himself; he was also charged with drug possession and driving without a valid license.

At about 8:17 p.m. on April 4, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy pulled over a vehicle on West Newberry Road in Newberry because the tag appeared to be homemade, with messages like “Sovereign Citizen” and “Free Traveler.”

Click here for Alachua County Sheriff’s Office’s video of the deputy’s interaction with McAfee.

McAfee reportedly disputed the legality of the stop and said he did not need to identify himself and did not need a license plate on his vehicle. The deputy reported that McAfee “attempted to use intimidation tactics to end the encounter, threatening personal and professional legal action against [the deputy] personally and in [his] capacity as a law enforcement officer.”

The deputy asked McAfee for his driver’s license, and McAfee allegedly refused and said he did not need a driver’s license. The deputy told him that failure to identify himself would result in his arrest, but McAfee continued to protest the traffic stop and allegedly tried again to intimidate the deputy, claiming to be exempt from Florida law.

After backup arrived, McAfee was arrested for resisting an officer without violence because he failed to identify himself; he allegedly resisted being handcuffed by tensing his arms and resisted being placed in a patrol vehicle.

The deputy reported that the vehicle was unregistered and that its license plate had been surrendered in North Carolina; McAfee’s North Carolina driver’s license was also suspended.

An inventory search of McAfee’s vehicle before towing reportedly produced about 5 grams of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamines. McAfee reportedly claimed that the drugs had been planted in his vehicle by deputies.

McAfee reportedly has multiple felony convictions, has warrants for his arrest in multiple states, and has an extensive history of failing to appear for hearings in criminal cases. He reportedly made statements about being above and superior to Florida law and said criminal courts have no authority over him. The deputy reported that he has no documented ties to Alachua County or Florida.

McAfee has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, resisting an officer without violence, driving with a suspended license, displaying a tag that is not assigned to his vehicle, and failing to register his vehicle. Judge Mitchell Bishop set bail at $8,000.

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.