Archer Man Arrested For Theft Of Freightliner Truck

GAINESVILLE – A 63-year-old Archer man was arrested early Saturday, March 15, 2025, and charged with stealing a Freightliner truck from his former employer, LDH Trucking Company.

Lucious James Hines, Sr. was taken into custody at approximately 12:48 a.m. after an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on Northeast Waldo Road. The deputy identified the vehicle as one that had been reported stolen by a trucking company based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

According to law enforcement, Hines stated post-Miranda that he had been hauling truckloads for approximately two weeks and had returned home for a day off on March 13. He claimed to have informed his employer of his intention to resign in order to work for his cousin’s trucking company and denied stealing the truck.

The owner of LDH Trucking Company told deputies that he had terminated Hines on March 13. He stated that Hines had returned the truck to the company’s dirt lot in Charlotte and had also turned in the keys. However, when a cleaning crew arrived the following day, the truck was no longer there. The owner reported the vehicle stolen to the Charlotte Police Department but initially provided incorrect vehicle information. Later, he provided GPS tracking data from a device installed on the truck, which led authorities to Hines.

Charlotte police confirmed that the victim was the registered owner of the Freightliner and identified Hines as the suspect in their report.

Hines has been charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle. Court records indicate that he has 21 prior felony convictions, including four classified as violent, along with seven misdemeanor convictions, four of which were violent. He has previously served five state prison sentences, with the most recent ending in 2013.

Judge Luis Bustamante ordered Hines to be held on $10,000 bail.

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