Two Alachua County men, both with multiple prior felony convictions, were sentenced this week to federal prison terms ranging from 18 years to 19 years and 6 months for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida announced on Thursday that Gainesville resident Keith Dawayne Puryear, 42, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release.
According to court records, on the morning of April 13, 2022, just before 3:30 a.m., a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officer observed Puryear run a stop sign. When the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, Puryear pulled onto a residential street, exited the driver’s seat, and fled on foot through residential yards in the neighborhood.
The GPD officer observed that Puryear was carrying a pistol in his hand as he fled. A K-9 officer responded to the scene to conduct a track, and Puryear was located inside a doghouse in another residential backyard. He was apprehended by the K-9 officer.
Court records state that GPD officers located a Crown Royal bag containing cocaine near one of Puryear’s shoes along his “path of flight.” The firearm that had been discarded by Puryear was located the following day by an officer who returned to the scene. The recovered firearm was a 10mm pistol that had been reported stolen out of Lake County.
Puryear’s DNA was recovered from the pistol, according to court records.
Puryear is a multi-time convicted felon and had outstanding felony arrest warrants out of Marion County. His prior felony convictions include possession of cocaine (five counts), possession of cocaine with intent to sell (four counts), sale of cocaine (four counts), possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (three counts), fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement (three counts), and grand theft of a motor vehicle, among other charges.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida also announced on Thursday that Gainesville resident Alphonso Columbus Richardson, 43, was sentenced to more than 19 years and 6 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release.
According to court records, Richardson matched the physical description of a wanted subject that was driving a relative’s vehicle without authorization. On the night of January 5, 2022, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) deputy located the vehicle at a gas station in Gainesville.
The deputy observed two individuals inside the vehicle: Richardson was in the driver’s seat and an unidentified man was in the front passenger seat. When Richardson began driving through the gas station’s parking lot, the deputy conducted a traffic stop.
Court records state that Richardson initially attempted to flee the scene, but he was boxed in by the other deputies who had responded to the scene. Richardson then attempted to flee on foot but got tangled in the seat belt.
Deputies detained Richardson and eventually observed a revolver that was wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console. Deputies confirmed that Richardson was a convicted felon and arrested him.
During a pat-down search of Richardson, deputies located ten rounds of ammunition, and multiple baggies of suspected methamphetamine, cocaine, MDPV, and marijuana were located during a later search.
Richardson’s DNA was recovered from the revolver, according to court records.
Richardson has multiple prior felony convictions that include sale of cocaine (three counts), possession of cocaine with intent to sell (three counts), sale of a controlled substance, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon (two counts), felony battery (repeat offender), burglary of a dwelling, and grand theft of a motor vehicle (two counts), among other charges.
Assistant United States Attorney Chris Elsey prosecuted both cases, which were investigated by the Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.