Alachua Woman Arrested for Possession of Concealed Firearm

GAINESVILLE ‒ Cemille Lakedra Denise Jackson, 29, of Alachua, was arrested on Thursday, July 6, and charged with possession of a concealed firearm by a convicted felon after she allegedly pulled a gun from her purse during an altercation.

At about 2 a.m., a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to Boardwalk Apartments at 2701 S.W. 13^th Street, where a witness reportedly said that she had physically fought another person earlier in the evening and that Jackson had arrived later with three other people to pick up some keys that had been dropped during the fight.

The witness said she was worried that Jackson and the three people in her car would jump her, so she armed herself with a knife but never threatened anybody with it or moved toward anyone with the knife.

Two witnesses told the officer that Jackson reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a handgun but did not point it at anybody or threaten anybody.

The officer reported that the three people in Jackson’s car said nobody had a gun and Jackson said there was no gun in her car. A search of the car with Jackson’s consent reportedly produced the shoulder bag and a handgun, which was hidden under a pile of clothing.

Post Miranda, Jackson reportedly said that she had reached into her shoulder bag to imply that she had a gun after the witness grabbed the knife. However, she denied having a gun in her bag or on her person.

Jackson has a juvenile criminal history and served an 18-month prison sentence for battery on detention staff in 2013-14 in Martin County. She also has two local misdemeanor convictions for participating in a fight on school grounds in 2020. Bail was set at $50,000 by Judge Susan Miller-Jones.

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