UF student charged with providing false identification, trying to smuggle communication device into jail

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Emily Faith Lampi, 20, was arrested early Wednesday morning and charged with introducing contraband into the jail, resisting arrest without violence, underage drinking, and giving false identification to a police officer.

A Gainesville Police Department (GPD) Officer was patrolling W. University Avenue in uniform after midnight and saw drinks being thrown down from a balcony at 1700 W. University Avenue. The officer, who was also conducting underage drinking enforcement, reportedly saw Lampi holding a beer and then throwing it to the ground. The officer wrote that she asked Lampi to provide identification proving she was old enough to possess an alcoholic beverage, and Lampi allegedly refused.

The officer wrote that she asked her again to provide identification, and she refused again. Lampi was then escorted out of the bar, and in a search incident to arrest, two identification cards were reportedly found in her purse. Lampi also allegedly twisted away from officers, resisting the search, and ignored commands to place her hands behind her back.

At one point, Lampi allegedly grabbed an officer’s gun that was in a holster. She was ordered to release her grip on the gun, but she allegedly refused, and her hand reportedly had to be pried from the gun.

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Lampi was originally charged with resisting arrest without violence under the name Samantha Lampi, but detention officers at the jail later told the arresting officer that an abnormality had been found after scanning Lampi while booking her; officers conducted a strip search and reportedly found a Fitbit smartwatch that Lampi had allegedly hidden in her undergarments in an attempt to smuggle it into the jail. The watch is reportedly capable of sending and receiving messages. Jail staff also reportedly contacted GPD later to report that Lampi had initially provided a false name to officers and that she is not old enough to possess alcoholic beverages, based on her correct birth date.

Lampi has no criminal history and was released on her own recognizance.

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. 

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