Serial felon pleads guilty to federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tyrese Da’Jon Jones, 26, has pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Kudos to the excellent work by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies who took this violent felon off our streets so we could follow that up with a successful prosecution to put him behind bars where he belongs. The Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America continues to deliver wins for community safety as we fulfill the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi that we will aggressively prosecute violent felons like this defendant to clean up our streets.”

Original arrest

On July 2, 2025, the victim called 911 to say she had been held hostage by Jones in her car for three hours, and throughout the ordeal, Jones was either pointing his gun at something specific, holding it in his lap, or waving it around in her direction with his finger on the trigger. She said Jones kept saying people were coming after them, that the victim was setting him up, and if they didn’t kill her, he would. She said he also made multiple statements that he would kill her and then himself.

The victim said that after driving Jones to multiple locations, they sat in the parking lot at Firehouse Subs (3221 SW 35th Place) for about 20 minutes while he continued saying she was setting him up. She said she told him he needed to get out so she could go to work, and he said, “I gotchu, I gotchu, my bad,” gave her a “weird look and smirked at her” while putting the gun back in his waistband, picked up his backpack, and got out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind him. The victim called 911.

Deputies responded quickly and established a perimeter around Firehouse Subs; in a social media post, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office wrote, “During the incident, it is believed individuals inside the business – who were familiar with the suspect – warned [Jones] that law enforcement was outside.”

At about 9:51 p.m., Jones reportedly left Firehouse Subs and drew his gun when approached by deputies; in response,a deputy discharged his weapon. Jones reportedly suffered what appeared to be a minor injury and was treated at a local hospital before being transported to the Alachua County Jail.

Jones is also facing state charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment. He has four felony convictions and has served a state prison sentence.

Sentencing on the federal charge is scheduled for April 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in Gainesville, before Chief District Judge Allen C. Winsor.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, human and drug trafficking.

As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.