Three teens arrested near GHS for carrying concealed weapons

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Anna Dorthea Nikles, 18, was arrested yesterday afternoon, along with a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old, and all three were charged with carrying concealed weapons. Nikles was also charged with possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana.

At about 1:00 p.m. yesterday, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a report that three suspects were loitering near Coffee Culture, 2020 NW 13th Street, and that one of them had lifted his shirt and exposed a black handgun tucked in his waistband. The witness said all three crossed NW 13th Street and walked into the Lux13 apartment complex.

School Resource Officers assigned to Gainesville High School were familiar with the two younger suspects and said they had not attended school all month. Officers reportedly found an Instagram photo showing the two younger teens holding black firearms.

Almost an hour later, a detective who was canvassing the Lux13 apartment complex in an unmarked car saw the three teens walking along NW 21st Avenue. All three were detained and patted down. A detective reportedly found a 10-inch fixed-blade knife in the back waistband of one of the younger suspects.

Nikles was reportedly carrying a backpack that contained two black realistic pellet guns, along with two containers of steel BBs and five CO2 air cartridges. The guns resembled the handguns in the Instagram photo and were stamped with “Not a toy may cause serious injury or death.” The search also reportedly found a baggie of marijuana that weighed about 1.8 grams.

Post Miranda, Nikles reportedly said she and the two younger teens had walked to the apartment complex and smoked “weed” together. She said the younger teens placed their guns in her backpack; she said both teens had been carrying guns tucked into the front of their pants. She also reportedly said that the younger teens had been “flashing” their guns at Coffee Culture over the past two days at other teenagers who were walking by to get coffee and walk to school. That was consistent with another report that a tall white male was suspected of having a gun at the coffee shop on Tuesday.

Post Miranda, one of the younger teens reportedly admitted to smoking marijuana and carrying a pellet gun and said he carried it “for fun.” He denied committing any violence with the gun. The other teen reportedly admitted to smoking marijuana but denied carrying a concealed weapon.

All three were charged with carrying a concealed weapon; one of the subjects has a previous charge of concealing knives on a school campus. Nikles was transported to the Alachua County Jail, and the younger teens were transported to the Juvenile Detention Center.

Nikles has a juvenile criminal history; Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $2,200 with a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

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.