Alachua Teen Gets Four Years In Gun, Drug Case

ALACHUA ‒ A 17-year-old Alachua man has been sentenced as an adult to four years in state prison after deputies found a stolen pistol and nearly 170 grams of marijuana in his bedroom during a February search.

Charles Lavon Williams Jr., who had previously served a juvenile sentence in 2024, was released on Nov. 26 of that year. A subsequent investigation involving his social media account reportedly showed him holding multiple firearms after being adjudicated a delinquent.

On Feb. 5, 2025, the Alachua County Sheriff's Office obtained a search warrant for the home where Williams lives with his mother. The following day, investigators searched his bedroom and recovered a 9mm Taurus pistol with an extended magazine that had been reported stolen in Alachua, along with a loaded Glock extended magazine. Both items had allegedly appeared in social media posts by Williams.

Deputies also reported finding a bag containing 167.99 grams of marijuana in his closet, along with a digital scale and a box of baggies. One detective wrote that the discovery “indicat[ed] to this detective that [Williams] has been involved in narcotics since his release from his Juvenile Commitment Program.”

Although Williams was not charged with stealing the pistol—authorities said he was in custody when it was stolen—he was charged with possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent and possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana.

On Feb. 17, Williams was formally charged as an adult and transferred to the Alachua County Jail later that month. At the time of his arrest, he had one prior juvenile conviction and told court personnel he was a student at Santa Fe High School. He was released on $100,000 bail in early March.

Williams entered an open plea of nolo contendere on May 19 to both charges, which carried a maximum sentence of 20 years. The following day, prosecutors asked Circuit Judge William Davis to remand Williams to custody pending sentencing, but the judge denied the motion and instead imposed an 8 p.m. curfew, with exceptions if he was fulfilling work or school obligations.

On June 9, Judge Davis sentenced Williams to two concurrent four-year prison terms, followed by three years of probation for the firearm charge.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com