Ocala Man Arrested for Newberry Carjacking

NEWBERRY ‒ Justin Lee Rimes, 24, was arrested Wednesday, Sept. 21, and charged with carjacking and battery after allegedly stealing a pickup truck.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy responded early Monday morning to a report of a carjacking in High Springs. The victim said a friend of his had come to his house recently with Rimes and that he had given the two men a ride to Lake City in a pickup truck owned by his father.

The victim said that during the drive, Rimes started yelling at him and hit him in the face. The victim said he stopped the truck and got out in High Springs and Rimes got into the driver’s seat and drove away. The victim called 911 from that location.

License plate readers showed that the truck had been driven to Marion County.

The victim identified Rimes in a photo line-up as the man who took the truck. The next night the friend and Rimes returned to the victim’s home in Newberry with the truck and a deputy responded and took Rimes into custody.

Rimes has been charged with battery with bodily harm and carjacking without a weapon. He has two pending criminal cases in Marion County, including a grand theft auto charge. He has an out-of-state criminal history in Tennessee, including a warrant for driving without a valid license. He is being held on $90,000 bail.

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