Woman on pre-trial diversion arrested for armed robbery

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Danetria Lasha Flagg, 30, was arrested early yesterday morning and charged with four counts of attempted armed robbery after allegedly attempting to rob the Murphy’s Express convenience store.

At about 11:45 p.m. on September 24, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a call from the store about an armed robbery. The victims told an officer that a person had entered the store brandishing a firearm, walked behind the counter toward a clerk, and pointed at the safe. The clerk told the suspect it was a timed safe and she did not know how to open it. The suspect then reportedly demanded money from the cash register, but the clerk said she could not open it.

The suspect then walked back around the counter and allegedly demanded money from another person, but he said he only had a small amount of change.

The suspect approached a third person and told him to get down; that person saw the gun and offered his wallet, but the suspect did not take the wallet and instead left the store without taking anything.

A witness in the parking lot told the officer the suspect got into a dark-colored Camaro that fled south on U.S. Hwy 441. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the Camaro; the front-seat passenger was identified as Flagg, and she reportedly said she and a friend were on their way home from the beach. She declined consent to search the vehicle. At the time, officers believed the suspect was male, and Flagg was released.

The clerk told officers that the suspect sounded like “a female trying to sound like a male’s voice,” and the description given by the victims matched Flagg’s body type and features.

A review of the store’s surveillance video showed that the suspect was wearing dark clothing, a face covering, and distinctive Jordan shoes with a purple stripe. The handgun was green with a black slide, and the suspect was carrying a black backpack with distinctive lettering.

At 1:07 a.m. on October 3, officers pulled over the Camaro for an expired tag, and the driver was identified as Flagg. The officer smelled marijuana, so a probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted. The search reportedly produced a green handgun with a black slide, Jordan shoes with a purple stripe, and a black backpack with distinctive lettering.

Post Miranda, Flagg reportedly denied any involvement in the robbery and said the shoes, backpack, and gun did not belong to her; she said they belonged to different family members who ride in her car.

Flagg was arrested on June 4 and charged with burglary and battery, but the charges were later dropped. Three days after she was released, she was arrested again on June 25 and charged with three counts of possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia; she entered into a pre-trial diversion agreement on August 23 that prohibits possession of any firearms or any violations of the law for 18 months. That agreement was revoked today, and she will be re-arraigned on those charges. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $400,000 on the armed robbery charges.

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.